


Stay (the night)

by greyapplegeek



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: AU, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:56:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 31,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21811795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyapplegeek/pseuds/greyapplegeek
Summary: Working for a broadcasting station, Jongdae gets sent to Rome, Italy to gather locations for the filming of an upcoming romance drama. He expects little of the trip, especially not to meet an extremely charming salesman and accidentally live out the drama himself.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae | Chen
Comments: 10
Kudos: 83





	Stay (the night)

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote most of this about a year ago, but life has absolutely been a lot since then and i haven't had the time/motivation to finish it until now. it's served as an excellent distraction from less fortunate events that have happened this year, i discovered. this is basically a self indulgent au where the characters eat a lot of stereotypical italian food, and it is also probably the most romance-y fic i've ever written. please note that i'm a bit unsure about the ratings on this site, but i would say this is a hard T, bordering on M, so you have been warned.  
> before you get on with reading this, i'd also like to apologise in advance for any inaccuracies when it comes to my depiction of rome/italy. i've only been there briefly. now, enjoy!

_I got an impulse so repulsive that it burns_

_I wanna break your heart until it makes your stomach turn_

_I gotta know if you're the one that got away_

_Even though it was never meant to be_

_Say you'll stay the night_

_'Cause we're running out of time_

_So stay the night_

_I don't wanna say goodbye_

  
  


He had only been there for two days, but Jongdae’s impression of Rome was that everything was expensive, the traffic was insane and it was crawling with obnoxious tourists. The latter had proven to be a problem when he had taken the time to visit the Vatican and had to queue for two hours to be able to enter the Basilica. Afterwards he had gone straight to the line for the Sistine Chapel, but after overhearing that the waiting time would be around six hours unless he bought a semi-legitimate group ticket for a three digit price he gave up. The trip had not been relevant to his job, AKA his purpose of visiting the city in the first place, but having grown up Catholic Jongdae thought it important to take the chance to visit one of the most holy places on earth. At least, he got to experience the church and purchase a tacky postcard with the Pope to send home to his family.

Apart from it being crowded, pricy, and hectic, Rome was also rainy during this time of the year. Or perhaps he had just been unlucky. Jongdae did not mind rain that much, but it did make his job more difficult. The locations he had to visit and photograph were not seen in their best light, so to say.

Hoping to be able to make it into the entertainment industry, Jongdae had been working for a smaller TV station for a few years now. He had been assigned various jobs during his time there, but had last year landed himself the position of a location scout. The job consisted of him receiving the script or simply the general idea of a TV series and then finding the perfect locations for each scene or episode to be filmed in. Usually it would let him explore Seoul to its smallest details trying to find scenic environments for emotional scenes, or looking for a establishment matching a very specific description in the script. Usually the aesthetic was not the only thing he had to consider: the cost of filming on location as well as the logistic aspects had to be figured out as well. With time the job had become easier, as he grew more and more familiar with the city he’d only lived in as an adult, only having to face the occasional challenges. This was not one of those; this was beyond the challenge of finding a scenic stud farm within a few miles from the TV broadcasting station or a café with wallpaper with a certain shade of yellow. He was now in a different country, a different continent even, where the language, the environment and the general way of life seemed to be drastically different. Jongdae had never done anything quite like this - he supposed it was understandable that he felt a bit nervous. And that said nervousness might’ve influenced his attitude towards the city. In fact, Rome was a pretty place, in spite of the rain and packs of tourists haunting it. He could understand why the team behind the show initiative had chosen it as the location for their drama series.

The drama “Roman Romance” had no a-list actors, no brand deals and, in Jongdae’s opinion, nothing else going for it either. The manuscript, which he had received as a brick-like volume of pages, was in all honesty far too cliché and unrealistic for Jongdae’s tastes. Jongdae was not a big fan of drama series to begin with but this really took the prize of being the most contrived and cheesy garbage he’d read in a while. Yet, the opportunity of visiting places abroad while getting paid for it was nothing he could pass on. He had become rather fond of his job; it was like he held the power to affect the outcome of the entire TV series.

When he was not out looking for places that fit the vision of the scriptwriters (or slacking off from his job by queueing for ungodly hours), Jongdae lived in a hotel. The stay was paid for by the company and the place was actually very nice, modern, with many levels and a spacious lobby. Breakfast was served between seven and ten in the morning and consisted of a smorgasbord of many different things that all looked very appetising. The restaurant was open during evenings too, in case the guests did not have the time to go out looking for somewhere to eat, and it at least looked affordable (Jongdae hadn't checked it out yet). All in all, Jongdae’s experience was pretty good. The only thing that had bothered him for the first nights had been the fact that a mother with two small toddlers had lived next door, who naturally had made a lot of noise. Therefore he had been delighted to see them leave on his second morning there, already looking forward to a night without waking up at two AM to the shrieking of a distressed baby. He had previously worn earphones and put on some music when it had happened, focussing on singing along in his head to block it out. This was not a great method for inducing sleep, though.

Jongdae did not encounter the next resident of the room until late that evening, when he after a relatively cheap but filling pasta dinner was making his way back to his room. At the same time as he reached his door, shuffling through his pockets for his access key, the door to the room next to his opened to reveal a man around his own age. He was wearing a sleek suit and had light brown hair which was partly slicked to the side, exposing dark eyebrows and a pair of small but surprisingly pretty eyes. Jongdae was taken aback for a second or two, just staring at the man, but then the other seemed to notice him. He nodded in greeting, and Jongdae followed suit; he supposed he could’ve tried to poorly produce a “buongiorno”, but this man most likely wasn’t Italian and besides, it was past daytime. Just a nod was enough, simply to acknowledge the other’s presence without wishing to make conversation. Jongdae could understand that. He wondered where the man was from, though, as he was undoubtedly also Asian (the hair being, quite clearly, dyed). He almost literally shook his thoughts away as he entered his room, feeling like he was overthinking this insignificant encounter.

  
  


“Roman Romance” was about a woman taking the chance to go on a business trip to Rome for a month, leaving a bad family situation behind. Well there she meets a man who has lived there for a few years already, and initiates a romance with him, seemingly neglecting her job and her troubles at home. Nothing interesting in particular happens throughout the course of the drama; the audience are mainly supposed to be immersed in the romantic ambiance of the Italian setting and the impeccable chemistry between the two leads. Jongdae could do nothing about the latter but he was definitely part of the team responsible for achieving the right atmosphere. Today, he was searching for a restaurant that would the perfect setting for the first turning event in the drama: the restaurant dinner where both characters realise that their feelings are mutual and they take their first step towards a romantic relationship. The scene was rather cheesy, involving some feeding and spilling sauce on the female lead’s shirt, something she doesn’t mind as she is by then head over heels for the male lead.

It would have to be a traditional Trattoria with a small interior, lit candles and rustic but high quality food. This was supposed to be the male lead’s favourite restaurant, preferably with rather high prices so him inviting the protagonist there would be seen as quite generous. Jongdae had searched around a few pages on the web as well as the guidebooks he’d brought, and had compiled a list of possible candidates that he was now currently checking out in person. He had stopped by a few already, making sure to snap a few pictures of the exterior, the menu, and even the inside of the restaurant with the staff’s permission. In most cases they were okay with it, and besides, if the producers ended up picking that restaurant and the drama, against all odds, became a hit the restaurant would have to expect an influx of Korean tourists later on.

Jongdae was not a professional photographer, but he knew how to work the camera alright. There was no need for aesthetically perfect or avant-garde pictures; they were strictly functional as in managing to capture the general look of the photographed area, so that the production team would get as much visual information as possible on the location. Sometimes he would go for panoramic pictures, and in other cases taking several pictures from different angles were preferred to show not only what would end up on film but also the area around it that would have to fit the crew. The camera was one of those modern ones equipped with wi-fi, sending the photos immediately to the Locations Department’s shared storage account. This was just in case something happened to the camera; Jongdae supposed the main risk was of it being stolen. The world was big and full of crime, and it almost felt like he was at additional risk carrying the camera around photographing scenic places looking like a typical tourist.

When he was done with the very time-consuming task he had been given Jongdae was to choose amongst the pictures and prepare a presentation to hold for the production team once he arrived home again. The presentation could, apart from the photographs, include sketches of floor plans of the locations, compass directions as well as weather and light conditions. As he had to dedicate as much of his time in Rome as possible to the search for locations he was planning to prepare the rest on the flight back home. The plane would leave in the afternoon in five days but he would arrive in Korea at noon the following day, with time differences considered.

Carrying the camera around his neck, Jongdae strode forward on the cobblestones of the street, admiring the old stone houses in orange, yellow and pink that framed his view. Today had been relatively free of rain and he was for once completely dry. In fact, the sun was shining brightly and it almost seemed as though it were June instead of January. His day so far had gone well overall, except for one incident where he tried to ask a small family restaurant if he could take photos and they promptly shook their heads and asked him to leave. Still, that was far from as bad as his previous days at work: it had been a struggle to find his way through the city in the beginning, he would end up lost, missing the correct bus stop and both his and the locals’ reluctance to speak English kept him from asking for directions. He had once attempted to reach the Villa Borghese gardens on foot and had ended up walking on an increasingly smaller sidewalk next to a heavily trafficked road devoid of any houses or people whatsoever; the only things surrounding him were a very high wall on one side and cars zooming past him on the other, driving through deep puddles of muddy water next to the sidewalk, leaving Jongdae completely soaked. He had eventually given up and returned to the hotel, growing more and more frightened by the secluded area, the late hour having surrounded it in darkness.

Today, however, the sunny weather put Jongdae in good spirits. The filming on location was supposed to take place during the spring and early summer, so he supposed that the weather conditions of today were more accurate to those. Although the broadcasting network was (yet) still small and his department even smaller they had invested enough into this drama to be able to send a guy like him on a trip to Europe for research. They were really counting with it becoming a success.

Humming slightly, Jongdae soon arrived at the place he had been looking for: a restaurant that supposedly was the best in the entire area. Unlike the other places he had visited so far, it was closed during lunch hours and only open in the evenings. Jongdae had not foreseen that; a total miss on his part. Therefore he was forced to lean forward to peek through the windows, pushing his hands against the glass to shield it from the reflection of the sun. The interior seemed cosy, with small tables and checkered tablecloths, paintings of food lining the maroon walls. The windows were decorated with old wine bottles holding half-burnt down candles.

Taking a few steps back to skim through the menu, Jongdae felt his mouth water. It was right about lunchtime, and the food that this place offered seemed more than palatable. Local specialities containing fish, seafood or meat were listed as their main courses, as well as the first plate pastas and sizeable selection of appetisers and desserts. Jongdae’s heart sank, however, as he saw the prices. This was not a place he could return to for the purpose of eating. Not that it was important, but it would have been nice... as reference for his presentation, that is.

  
  


That day, Jongdae ended up purchasing a large sandwich with mozzarella and tomatoes for lunch, which he supposed was good enough, and in the late afternoon he returned to the hotel after feeling his feet starting to go numb. As the elevator stopped at his floor Jongdae could hear someone in the corridor talking. Of course, it was not something out of the ordinary, but what made him react was that the stranger spoke in his own native language. Not having expected to hear the familiar sounds of Korean in a city so far away, and certainly not expecting his own emotional reaction to finally finding something that reminded him of home, Jongdae stopped in his tracks before he could reach the corridor.

“Yes, we have had the first meeting already, I think it went well. I told Yujin-ssi all about it before. I introduced the product and all its benefits, and tried to explain what both parts would gain from the deal... The client seemed to be a little impressed, at least. However, they needed some time to discuss. They’ll come back to me tomorrow with their decision.”

Even though Jongdae had no idea what the person was talking about, it was an immense relief to hear something being said that he could fully understand for once. As exciting as he found travelling, it had so far been incredibly stressful to him.

He creeped closer, peeking into the corridor to see the man from the day before being the one talking. He was still wearing a stylish black suit and his hair was slicked sideways. His left hand was carrying a thick bunch of paper, and his right hand was holding a cell phone to his ear; he looked like the perfect image of a businessman. Jongdae did not wish to disturb him yet he still needed to make his way to his own room. He therefore tried to walk slowly, as silently as possible to be unnoticeable to the other. Unfortunately, the man still managed to hear his gentle steps on the carpeted floor.

“Yes, it’s scheduled to- oh!” he exclaimed lightly upon noticing Jongdae’s appearance behind him. This also managed to startle Jongdae, who flinched slightly.

“Sorry!” the man said in English, and quickly made his way into his room, closing the door behind him to continue his conversation undisturbed. This all happened very rapidly, so Jongdae didn’t have time to bring the man’s attention to the piece of paper he had dropped in his scurry for his room.

Taking a few steps forward, Jongdae picked up the sheet of paper and glanced at it for a few seconds. It looked like the blueprint of something, Jongdae couldn’t quite tell what it was. He shrugged and leaned towards the door the man had entered, trying to hear if he had finished with his phone call or not. As creepy as it looked, the stance proved to be effective as Jongdae could still hear a voice coming from the room. It was impossible to distinguish the words, though, so Jongdae didn’t feel like he was attempting to overhear what the other was saying. He was just waiting for him to finish his conversation.

About a minute later the room went quiet and Jongdae gathered enough courage to knock on the door. A few seconds passed by, then a few more, and feeling impatient Jongdae knocked again. This time the man opened the door, looking a bit taken aback. His tie was loosened, and his hair looked like he had been running his hand through it a few times. This did not disfavour his appearance, though.

“Can I help you?” he said in a slightly accented English, eyeing Jongdae’s face questioningly. Jongdae tried not to let the other’s gaze get to him.

“Yes, hello”, he said in Korean, then bowed politely, amusedly witnessing the other man’s surprise. “I just wanted to return this to you. You dropped it before.”

“Wow, thank you”, the man exclaimed, switching languages as well, a wide smile appearing on his face. “You’re staying next door, aren’t you? You’re also from Korea?”

Jongdae nodded, taking in the other’s box-like smile displaying shining white teeth.

“Coincidence we ended up next to each other”, he commented and the man nodded. He was around Jongdae’s height, perhaps a tiny bit taller. Jongdae therefore did not have to look up nor down to speak to him properly.

“It’s nice to have someone nearby that I can speak to and understand, though”, Jongdae continued, having let it slip before thinking about it. He was not attempting to make the man talk to him during more occasions, not even now if he did not want to; yet he probably came off as weird. However, the other just continued smiling, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh-huh, sure is”, he said casually, leaning against the doorframe as he did so. Jongdae felt his face get a bit hotter.

“So... I guess that’s that. I’ll see you around”, he exclaimed before he could say something equally stupid and the other nodded.

“Nice to meet you, and thanks”, he said before flashing Jongdae a final smile and closing the door, thankfully before Jongdae had the chance to reply.

“Nice to meet _you_ “, he mumbled to himself instead, as he stood facing the now closed door with a worrying sensation in his chest.

  
  


The next morning Jongdae woke up early; he still had a lot of work to do. He was therefore one of the first hotel guests to start having breakfast, having arrived there at exactly 7 AM. He loaded his plate with eggs, ham and a sandwich and went to sit down at one of the tables in the corner.

Looking around the sleekly decorated dining room, Jongdae noticed it was fairly empty at this hour. All the more comfortable, he supposed. Jongdae ordered a cup of coffee and leaned back in his chair.

Not long after this he spotted the man from the day before entering the room, wearing a dress shirt tucked into a pair of sleek black trousers, his tie matching them. Business casual, with emphasis on business. Jongdae felt a bit underdressed in comparison, in his oversized hoodie and worn out jeans.

After the other had filled his plate with food he seemed to notice Jongdae, and started striding towards him.

“Can I join you?” the man said with a smile as he approached him, and Jongdae, having a mouth full of sandwich, could only manage to nod in reply.

“Byun Baekhyun”, the other said after sitting down, and Jongdae forced himself to swallow down the not yet thoroughly chewed piece of sandwich.

“Sorry?” he said breathlessly, almost feeling his eyes water.

“My name. Byun Baekhyun”, the man repeated with a grin.

“Ah. Kim Jongdae”, Jongdae said, catching up. “Nice to meet you.”

A silence then fell between them as Baekhyun put butter on his toasted bread, and Jongdae took a sip of his coffee. He was not normally this awkward.

“So you’re here alone, Jongdae-ssi?” Baekhyun finally asked, and Jongdae nodded.

“Yes. I’m here for work.”

“Oh, same here. Business trip. I just arrived here, I still haven’t adjusted to the time difference.”

“I haven’t completely, either”, Jongdae admitted, “and I’ve been here for three days.”

“Aha, so how long are you staying?”

“Just another four days. How about you?”

“Five more days for me. Or, I guess I could leave earlier if everything goes smoothly, and I could stay longer if I need to - but that’s the plan”, Baekhyun explained. He picked up a whole slice of parma ham with his fork and put it in his mouth.

“Good stuff, this”, he determined after having swallowed it down. “Have you tried it? Oh, wait, you’ve been here for some time already... So what’s your impression of the food?”

“It is”, Jongdae said with a smile, looking down, “And well, I haven’t been here for _that_ long... I’ve mostly eaten sandwiches; they’re always made with really good ingredients. I had a pasta carbonara once, though, and it was delicious.”

Baekhyun gaped slightly.

“Mostly sandwiches?! But, we’re in Italy! Surely, well, you _must_ try some of the local dishes...”

“Ah, well”, Jongdae began, not being able to look Baekhyun in the eyes, “I’d like to, sure, but it’s pretty expensive here... I mean, the restaurants are.”

He didn’t want to admit the fact that he wasn’t paid that well and that his company only supported the flight and hotel stay. At least, not in front of someone who clearly looked like he didn’t have that problem.

“Hm, but the restaurant at the hotel doesn’t seem to be that pricy, though. I ate there yesterday and the food was perfectly fine.”

“That’s probably true. I should check it out”, Jongdae said and Baekhyun nodded, wearing a thoughtful expression.

“So... what brings you here? I mean, what kind of business do you have here?” Jongdae asked awkwardly, wanting to move on. He hoped he didn’t come off as too nosy, but luckily, Baekhyun seemed to brighten up at the question.

“I’m a salesman”, he said, and flashed his gleaming white smile as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “for Black Light. You know, the illumination engineers?”

Jongdae nodded in recognition. The company Black Light was well known, alright. They had launched their flagship product around a year ago, a low energy lamp that could seamlessly be attached to any surface and produce a lot of light. It had become such a success that most public (and some private) establishments used such lighting, and the product had been all over the media at its launch.

“Oh, really? Those lamps are everywhere nowadays!”

Baekhyun nodded proudly.

“And that’s not all”, he said with a slightly smug smile. It was, somehow, rather appealing. “We are now expanding internationally. We have already made deals with companies in Japan and China - oh, and in China our products have even been endorsed by superstar Zhang Yixing.”

Jongdae nodded, recognising the name.

“And now”, Baekhyun continued, seemingly in his right element, “we are trying to interest the owner and ceo of Coin. You know, the big department stores?”

“Yeah, I’ve been to one already”, Jongdae replied, not mentioning the fact that he had misread the opening hours on the website and had arrived at the place an hour before it opened, ending up standing outside waiting in the rain. “They’re interested in using your lamps?”

“Yes, indeed. I had a meeting with them yesterday and they seemed impressed. We want to have ties with a large, reliable company like that - it might lead to more deals with other European retailers. And besides, our product is perfect as the illumination for their stores: it seamlessly fits their decor, and the lighting is strong enough to provide more than sufficient attention to their items for sale without using up much energy, which will save them money-“

Baekhyun interrupted himself, smiling sheepishly.

“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to sell _you_ the product. I must be such a bore”, he said with a laugh.

“Not at all”, Jongdae reassured him. In fact, Baekhyun’s enthusiasm had been contagious; perhaps that was a sign of him being good at his job. Baekhyun responded by once again flashing that wide, rectangular smile of his - a smile that made him appear quite charming. It was difficult not to feel happy too, when exposed to it.

The rest of the breakfast seemed to go by fast, even though Jongdae ended up eating rather slowly due to his mouth being occupied with making conversation with Baekhyun. They talked about their observations of the city so far, and Jongdae spoke of some of the places he had visited, recommending the ones he’d liked best to Baekhyun when he had some time off. He even mentioned the restaurant he’d spent some time looking for only to find out that it was closed during daytime, and how he would’ve eaten there if it hadn’t been so expensive. Perhaps Baekhyun could afford it for himself.

Eventually they parted ways as they went back to their respective rooms to brush their teeth and get ready, and then Jongdae was leaving the hotel as soon as possible to continue with his work.

Just as he had put on his raincoat and was about to leave, Jongdae heard a knock on his door. Having already been aiming to exit his room, he opened it within a second or two.

“Ah - you’re still here! Good”, Baekhyun said, standing right in front of the doorframe, fully dressed in his black suit this time. “You’re not in a hurry, are you?”

“Well-“ Jongdae began, to be truthful he probably needed to get going; the breakfast had taken longer than he’d planned.

“Of course, I’m sorry, you have business to attend to”, Baekhyun interrupted, eyeing the camera case Jongdae was carrying. “I never asked what you work with. Are you a photographer?”

“Uh, yes and no...”

“Ah, we’ll take it later. You see, since you told me you hadn’t eaten at the hotel restaurant yet, I was wondering if you’d like to join me for dinner this evening?”

Jongdae’s pulse sped up a little. Was he really being asked what he thought he was?

“If you have the time, of course”, Baekhyun added, sounding a little nervous. “Or... perhaps you’d rather eat sandwiches.”

There was a teasing tone to the final words and Jongdae couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.

“Deal”, he said, “what time were you thinking of?”

Baekhyun’s mouth finally formed into that wide smile of his, seeming relieved.

“Seven thirty, maybe? You think you’re done by then?”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

“Right. I’ll see you then”, Baekhyun said, still grinning, “and maybe you could tell me all about that job of yours.”

He winked once and turned around, walking down the corridor towards the lifts. Jongdae stood frozen for some amount of time, not fully believing what just had transpired. Then, the door automatically shut in his face and he woke up from his state of daze. Time to get going.

  
  


Jongdae had read the manuscript many times, and it only seemed to get duller and duller. Yet, he tried his best finding the perfect spots for the story. This morning, he went on a trip to search for the building to use as the location for the male lead’s apartment. Of course, the scenes taking place inside the flat were shot in a studio back in Seoul, but they needed a good facade for the establishing shots. The same went for the building where the female protagonist was supposed to temporarily live.

When he thought about it, Jongdae noticed the obvious coincidence of the male lead being a businessman, not unlike Baekhyun. In fact, he himself was not that far off from the situation the female lead, who was sent to Rome by her company - a travel agency - to document the city through pictures and words. Not that there was anything else in common, though.

Baekhyun... Byun Baekhyun. Jongdae quite liked the name. And the way the man himself seemed to emit sunshine as he appeared, despite the rather gloomy weather. It kinda made him want to sing loudly, excitement spreading through him whenever he thought of the other and their plans. Jongdae didn’t do it, though, not in public.

  
  


Despite his raincoat and umbrella Jongdae ended up quite wet after strolling through the rainy city for the majority of the day; he had found a small pizza shop around noon that he took shelter in for some time, but that was about it. When the clock was about to turn six he headed back for the hotel again, aiming to take a shower and get ready for the dinner that seemed to make his mind reel in expectation.

  
  


Finally it was around seven thirty, and Jongdae was standing in the lobby, having tried to seem as presentable as possible. Not that it should matter much - this was just supposed to be a casual dinner at the hotel restaurant with a random guy he’d met two days ago - yet Jongdae felt like there was no other choice than to show his best sides. Dress to impress. Which was hard, since he hadn’t expected this situation coming here and had only packed clothes with comfortability before anything else in mind. He therefore only ended up wearing a slightly too large turtleneck and his best jeans, but Jongdae was sure there was no particular dress code for dining at the hotel.

He did feel awkward about his state of dress, though, when Baekhyun arrived wearing rather formal attire. Similarly to the breakfast occasion, he was not wearing a suit jacket, but everything else was in place, making him look like he, unlike Jongdae, definitely had dressed for success. His white shirt was tucked into his trousers, bringing attention to the curve of his hips. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his lower arms, perhaps making the look a slight bit more casual. This was not to his disadvantage, though; Jongdae found himself unable to look away.

“Good evening”, Baekhyun greeted him, choosing not to mention the fact that he was a few minutes late. It hardly mattered, anyway. Taking in Baekhyun’s charming smile, Jongdae could only nod.

They took their seats around a small table in one of the corners, facing each other. The restaurant was quite small, and the interior was sleek, black, and modern, with the tables being made of polished black stone. A large aquarium was part of one of the walls and lounge music was playing from speakers in the ceiling. Normally Jongdae would have thought it too stale to be romantic, but there was something about the dim lighting and the fact that they were the only ones dining there at this time that made him think otherwise. He tried to remove those thoughts from his head, though: sure, Baekhyun was very charming and forward, but he really shouldn’t get his hopes up. The other was most likely mirroring Jongdae’s initial feelings of relief of finding someone else he could actually talk to properly, nothing more.

“So... what do you feel like?”

Having been lost in his own thoughts, Jongdae had not even noticed the menu appearing in front of him.

“Uh, I don’t know”, he said pathetically; luckily Baekhyun didn’t seem to pay that much attention to his answer.

“I kinda want meat... some proper meat dish”, Baekhyun said, his eyes fixed on the menu. “I had pasta yesterday.”

“Oh, I’ve heard _saltimbocca alla romana_ is really good”, Jongdae offered, quickly having found it listed among the mains, “but I wouldn’t know for sure.”

“Yeah, if it’s good at this particular place”, Baekhyun added.

“That’s true.”

Jongdae searched the menu for something nice yet cheap. The meat dishes were a little outside his budget, but although the pastas were pretty cheap, he did not want Baekhyun to notice that fact that he was holding himself back. _Spaghetti alle vongole_ seemed promising, as it was seafood it was among the pricier pasta dishes, yet still cheap enough for him to afford it without feeling bad about his spendings afterwards. He’d heard good things about it, too.

Eventually they ordered their food and a bottle of white wine to share, which Baekhyun was given the honour to taste before the waiter skilfully poured it into both of their glasses. When the waiter had left them with the bottle and a basket of bread, Baekhyun raised an eyebrow and smiled sheepishly at Jongdae.

“I hope you’ll like it, anyway. I thought it tasted fine, but I know nothing about wine.”

Jongdae took a sip and nodded approvingly.

“It’s good. I think it’ll go well with my spaghetti. Truth be told I’m really no wine expert either...”

“We’re the same, then. Heathens. Beer and soju is what I’m about”, Baekhyun said, and Jongdae laughed.

“I’d be really surprised if you found soju on the menu!”

“Not on the menu”, Baekhyun grinned, “but I swear there were several bottles in the mini bar back in my room...”

He looked very pleased about making Jongdae laugh. “Champagne is alright, too. They gave me a glass on the flight.”

“Really?” Jongdae asked, raising his eyebrows.

“It was included. That and chocolates”, Baekhyun explained, picking up a slice of bread not unlike the one they’d had for breakfast from the basket.

“Woah, what flight did you take?”

“I was in first class, company paid for it. Probably wouldn’t be able to afford it myself.”

“Oh, yeah, of course. Black Light”, Jongdae mumbled, mostly to himself, but Baekhyun nodded. “By the way, did your meeting today go well?”

“Uh”, Baekhyun started, biting off a piece of his bread then putting it down on the table, “we didn’t have one. They needed more time to discuss the affair so it was postponed to tomorrow.”

He looked down at his arms, pulling up one of the sleeves that had slouched down a bit. A crinkle was visible between his eyebrows. Jongdae did not know what to say, so he just observed the other’s face instead, taking the chance to when Baekhyun wasn’t looking his way. The somewhat serious expression was unlike what he’d seen from him before, but Jongdae did not dislike it at all. Shifting his gaze downwards when Baekhyun once again looked towards him, Jongdae finally noticed that Baekhyun had very nice hands. He’d never thought about that sort of thing before; hands were something everyone had, after all. Yet, Baekhyun’s hands looked very pretty resting on the table, his long, slender fingers reflected on the polished surface. Jongdae felt a bit bothered by it, almost wanting to withdraw his own small hands with somewhat stubby fingers from Baekhyun’s line of vision.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Anyway, I was gonna ask, what are you up to? Are you here to take pictures?” Baekhyun asked, switching the subject in a seemingly deliberate manner.

Jongdae, also feeling a bit relieved over the new direction of the conversation - though for a different reason than Baekhyun - explained the basics of his job, what it entailed and what he was doing in Rome of all places. Baekhyun listened, seemingly intrigued, nodding every now and then.

“So you get to see a lot of the world, then?” he asked. Jongdae shook his head, stifling a laugh.

“Not really. This is the first time I’m travelling abroad for work. No, it’s usually places around Seoul, and most of the work is actually done in front of the computer.”

Baekhyun raised an amused eyebrow at this, and Jongdae continued.

“I wouldn’t have time to just wander around and hope for the perfect scenery to appear out of nowhere. So I search for places on the internet, look in guide books and on blogs... A lot of the time I use Google Maps for finding stuff.”

“Ah. Google is your friend”, Baekhyun said in English with a teasing grin. Jongdae shrugged, unashamed.

“It’s very helpful.”

“I’m sure. So what about the drama? Care to tell me what it’s about?”

“I’m... I’m afraid I can’t tell you that much. It’s set in Rome, obviously, and well... Personally I think it’s really cheesy”, Jongdae said lowly, leaning forward slightly as if anyone could overhear. As if there were anyone else there at all, and as if that person would be able to understand them.

Baekhyun smiled.

“Many are”, he said, and with the way he was grinning Jongdae couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not, “but I think that’s part of their charm? I like a good cheesy romance.”

“Ah, really? Perhaps you’ll like this one, then.”

“Maybe”, Baekhyun leaned back slightly, eyeing Jongdae beneath half-closed eyelids. “Ah, a romance in Rome. Sounds like it could be something.”

Jongdae kept quiet, not wanting to comment on how close Baekhyun had come to the actual, predictable title of the drama.

“I’m not sure if I have SuTV, though.”

“I think it’ll be available online, too”, Jongdae said, knowing that their small broadcasting network wasn’t part of many cable boxes... yet. As much as he disliked the drama, he still hoped it would be successful enough not to make the company regret sending him abroad, and also perhaps making enough money for them to consider giving him a raise.

There was a short, but fairly comfortable silence after that, which was after a minute or so interrupted by the arrival of their food. Baekhyun’s saltimbocca looked just like in the pictures in Jongdae’s guidebooks, the veal seemingly cooked to perfection. Not that his own food looked less appetising: the pasta was surrounded by cockles still in their shells and the scent of seafood, parsley, and white wine made Jongdae’s mouth water.

“Oh! This one’s got that ham!” Baekhyun exclaimed, having examined his plate. Jongdae nodded.

“You didn’t know that?”

“I hadn’t heard about this dish before. You said it was good, and I trusted you.”

The way he gazed at Jongdae when he said it made Jongdae’s cheeks feel a little hot. Right then he didn’t dare to point out that he had only said that it was _supposed_ to be good, not having tasted it himself.

Jongdae picked up his fork and spoon instead, distracting himself from it all. He could see that Baekhyun already had started to devour a bit of the saltimbocca, making him feel even hungrier. Twisting the spaghetti around the fork, making sure to bring along as much sauce and parsley as possible, Jongdae’s mind was indeed soon elsewhere.

He was not disappointed when he first tasted the food, not at all; he almost let out a sigh of satisfaction, but managed to control himself, finding it inappropriate. The pasta was really that good. Perfectly _al dente_ , soft yet chewy, and it had absorbed a lot of the flavour of the sauce. Jongdae could feel the taste of the wine, yet the sauce was not sour, the salty, briny clams seeming to create a balance. The combination of white wine and clams was a classic, and with good reason. They went perfectly together, as with the parsley, and the slight sting of garlic and chilli that soon made itself noticeable. When he had swallowed down the first forkful of pasta, Jongdae immediately brought another to his mouth, not wanting anything else than to indulge in more of the dish.

Baekhyun seemed to be in a similar state, but soon noticed Jongdae’s enthusiasm and grinned.

“‘S good?” he asked and Jongdae nodded, not being able to do anything else while chewing some pasta.

“How about you?” he finally asked Baekhyun once his mouth was cleared.

“It’s really good. Didn’t know what to expect, but I like it a lot.”

“It does look good”, Jongdae agreed, “but I have to admit I haven’t ever eaten it myself. I just heard it’s good from guide books.”

“Wanna try?” Baekhyun asked, slicing off a bit of meat and pointing his fork at Jongdae. The action was surprising, yet, how could Jongdae say no? Though, the prospect of eating from the same fork that Baekhyun had used made him feel a little flustered, and for a second or two, Jongdae just stared at the fork Baekhyun was holding a few inches from his mouth.

“It’s fine. I don’t have herpes, if you thought that”, Baekhyun commented, having noticed and misinterpreted Jongdae’s stare, and the two of them started to giggle as if they were children hearing of the word for the first time.

“Good to know”, Jongdae said after gathering himself, then, immediately after, felt his face heat up profusely. Good to know... for what exactly? Hoping Baekhyun hadn’t caught the eventual implications of his words, Jongdae leaned forward to catch the piece of saltimbocca in his mouth, the embarrassment of being fed seeming like nothing in comparison to his most recent blunder.

The meat soon made an excellent distraction; it filled his mouth with a more than pleasant taste. Cooked to perfection, indeed. The saltiness of the prosciutto and the hint of sage complemented the rich flavour of the veal. He could understand why this was a recommended dish by many guides.

“So, how about you?” Baekhyun asked before Jongdae had finished his culinary reverie, and the latter could only muster up a “hm?” as a reply. Just as he was about to swallow, Baekhyun followed up with the sentence,

“Have _you_ got any herpes?”

Jongdae ended up choking on the meat; he had not been prepared for Baekhyun to continue the subject further, and was now red in the face as well as coughing.

“Oh, you alright?” Baekhyun asked, pushing his glass of water closer towards him. Jongdae grasped it and took a few sips, already feeling his throat clearing up.

“Why...” Jongdae finally managed to utter, gathering himself. Baekhyun shrugged.

“It’s just... good to know.”

He smirked slightly at Jongdae while saying those last few words, and Jongdae felt himself blush even harder at that than anything that had been said before.

“I mean, I want to know if I’ll be able to use my fork again”, Baekhyun explained and waved the fork he was holding in one of his pretty hands.

Those words were somewhat relieving.

“Oh. Oh yeah, lots of it. I’ve had it for many years. It’s extremely infectious, too”, Jongdae said, watching in amusement how Baekhyun’s eyes widened for a second, looking down at his fork in shock and disgust. He then directed his eyes towards Jongdae again, catching his wide smile.

“I’m kidding”, Jongdae needlessly explained, and could near instantly feel Baekhyun lightly kicking his foot under the table.

“You almost gave me a heart attack”, he said dramatically with a huff, while Jongdae had to gasp for air, having laughed so much. There was something about Baekhyun that made him feel funny, regardless of the quality of the jokes.

As he continued eating, Baekhyun made a show out of using his fork, including keeping the end in his mouth for an extended period of time while making a sound of delight. He was just messing around, and it was ridiculous, yet Jongdae found himself more embarrassed than amused. It was not like the behaviour seemed all that oblivious. Or perhaps he was seeing things that weren’t there.

The dinner went on well after that, without anymore awkward discussions of sexually transmitted infections, and Jongdae was really enjoying himself. The food was good, the company somehow even better... If that was even comparable. In spite of conversing most of the time, they finished their food fairly quickly. Both of their plates were practically empty when Baekhyun leaned back in his chair, sighing contentedly.

“This journey would have been worth it for the food alone”, he said, and Jongdae nodded. “Actually... I kinda feel like dessert. How about you?”

“Well...” Jongdae started, unsure. Baekhyun seemed to notice this right away.

“I’ll pay for it, if you want one.”

He was flashing that charming smile again, and at that moment the word “no” did not even seem to exist in Jongdae’s vocabulary.

They ended up ordering an Italian classic each, with a _panna cotta_ for Baekhyun and a _tiramisu_ for Jongdae. He had always wanted to taste a proper Italian one, so in spite of having eaten a whole bowl of pasta Jongdae still had room for at least trying it out.

Their desserts arrived quickly, probably having been fully prepared beforehand. Baekhyun’s panna cotta was turned upside down and served on a flat plate together with what looked like raspberry sauce, and Jongdae’s tiramisu was served the traditional way in a glass, bringing attention to the different layers of the dish. They wasted no time in tasting both of their desserts; Baekhyun seemed to be enjoying his. Jongdae, on the other hand, felt a little underwhelmed.

“How is it?” Baekhyun asked him, and Jongdae shrugged.

“It’s good, it is, but I have to admit it’s not all what it’s said to be. It’s just... biscuits soaked with cold coffee. I like the white stuff a lot, though.” He picked at the layer of creamy mascarpone.

“Mind if I try?” Baekhyun followed up, and after Jongdae assuring him that it was fine, he brought a small spoonful of tiramisu to his mouth.

“Soggy coffee bread”, was his verdict, almost laughing as he said it. Jongdae smiled.

“Well, it’s not _that_ bad.”

“I’m happy with my panna cotta, thank you”, Baekhyun said and watched as Jongdae took another spoonful of his dessert. His eyes stayed on him as he ate, looking slightly dubious. Jongdae raised an eyebrow, feeling it too impolite to actually comment on the behaviour, but Baekhyun seemed to get the drift.

“It’s just... You’ve got something. Here”, he started, and reached towards Jongdae’s face with his right hand, wiping away something from the edge of Jongdae’s lips with a slender finger. It was brief, but that did not stop Jongdae from feeling rather taken aback. Baekhyun hadn’t even let him attempt to tackle the issue himself, but had immediately reached out to do it in his place. Intruding on his personal space. Lucky for him, Jongdae was nowhere near displeased over his actions. His heartbeat did speed up a little, however, if that counted.

  
  


After staying by the table for another small period of time, idly chatting, they paid for their meals and headed towards their rooms. Jongdae had almost prepared himself for the two of them parting just after finishing the dinner, fully ready to say goodbye as they left the restaurant, but remembered just in time that they were heading the same way. When they reached their respective doors, it became oddly quiet. Their entire evening together had been comfortable but now it suddenly felt tense. Jongdae cleared his throat, eyeing Baekhyun next to him.

“So...”

“Right”, Baekhyun said. “I should go to bed - I have a meeting tomorrow, after all.”

“Oh, yeah, hope it goes well!”

“Thanks. You don’t have to worry about it, though. I’ll do just fine.”

Baekhyun’s smug smile made Jongdae’s chest burn; he kind of wanted to follow Baekhyun into the latter’s room instead of going to his own. He sincerely hoped his line of thought wasn’t visible on his face.

“...Yeah.”

Seemingly fine with his answer, Baekhyun turned towards his own door, yet not letting his eyes leave Jongdae. “Goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight”, Jongdae replied awkwardly, feeling pressured under Baekhyun’s gaze.

“Sweet dreams”, said Baekhyun with something that looked like a smirk, and then unlocked his door to enter his room.

Just like that, he left Jongdae. No attempt to make plans for some other time, not even a “see you”: only a wish, or rather a promise, for Jongdae to have sweet dreams. Which Jongdae wouldn’t be surprised if he had after this evening.

He was not about to go to bed just yet; there were still pictures from today on his camera that he would have to go through. This simple task, something he had done too many times to count, ended up being unexpectedly difficult for him. Jongdae’s thoughts were elsewhere. Not that far away, really, only about a few metres in front of him. He stared at the wall. If it, in some crazy way, came crumbling down there would be nothing separating him and Baekhyun. He wondered how close the other were to him right now, if he had already gone to bed. Wherever he was, there could not be more than a couple of metres of distance between them. Strange, really, they parted ways and could not see or hear each other yet they were so close.

Jongdae tried to focus on the photographs showing up on his laptop, but it was hard. He hadn’t expected, coming here, to find someone to get... _involved_ with. How small a chance was there for that to happen, anyway? He was only there for a week, mostly spending his time in town taking pictures, how was he supposed to meet anybody? He had been completely unprepared for Baekhyun’s presence. It was frustrating; out of all the possible people from his home country he could have coincidentally ended up rooming next to, did it have to be such an attractive young man? And so nice, funny and outgoing too; not afraid of sticking to him like glue. It was as if Jongdae were being tested. A distraction from his job, AKA the reason he had been sent there in the first place, or maybe just as a method of teasing him. As something he can’t have.

He closed his laptop and started to get ready for bed; his attempts at working had been pointless.

  
  


It turned out Baekhyun’s wish came true: Jongdae did indeed end up having rather sweet dreams. Sweet enough for him to wake up horny and feel guilty about it afterwards. It wasn’t that weird, he supposed, after all he had not been with someone in a very long time and all of a sudden a very attractive guy pops up seemingly out of nowhere, far away from the safety of his home. However, even if it made Jongdae feel rather adventurous he let it all stay in his head.

  
  


He got out of bed a little later than usual, and therefore did not bump into Baekhyun during breakfast. Which might have been a good thing; Jongdae expected it to be rather awkward to face him after what he’d just been up to. He ate in silence, then went out to try and finish up his job.

  
  


This time he was planning to find places in the script that weren’t so specific. Vague descriptions such as _road_ and _under a streetlight_ called for a lot more freedom of choice on his part. Jongdae first settled for going to the neighbourhood of Trastevere, having the idea of smallish, romantic alleys in mind.

A scene where the two leads would be walking together down a cobbled path, the beige and orange stone houses to the sides each having something to set them apart from the others, be it covered with street art or high climbing vines... the perfect atmosphere. Even though Jongdae didn’t feel much for the drama, he had to admit that he liked the thought of walking down one of these in the evening with someone nice.

Just as Jongdae had found an appropriate alley and placed himself in the middle of the street, aiming to take a picture, he heard the sound of a motorcycle. Thinking it wouldn’t be heading his way, Jongdae stayed where he was. When he was about to click the shutter, however, the motorcycle veered straight into the alley, ending up just behind Jongdae and having to brake with a loud noise. Jongdae started, jumping about a foot up in the air, then scuttled to the side as fast as possible, feeling his heart beating rapidly. The man on the bike shouted loudly; if the noise of the brakes hadn’t attracted people’s attention, this definitely did. Not understanding a word, and almost shrinking under the pressure of people eyeing them out of their windows, Jongdae just nodded, gaze flickering everywhere and anywhere. Luckily, the motorcyclist continued driving, and Jongdae was left standing there, feeling both terrified and embarrassed. Once again, the traffic had taken him aback. Though surely that couldn’t be the norm, people speeding on the motorcycles through narrow alleys, not even regarding the fact that there might be other people around...

Not a long time after this, when Jongdae had managed to gather himself, it started to rain again. The morning had been sunny, almost cloudless, so Jongdae had been tricked into not bringing an umbrella. A stupid decision. It didn’t just rain a little, no, the water was pouring down as if launched out of a hose. By the time Jongdae had found safety in a small corner shop, his clothes were completely soaked and his hair sticking to his forehead like glue. He wondered how Baekhyun was getting on in this weather, as dressed up as he had to be. Then again, he was probably inside a building at the moment, having a meeting with Italian CEOs.

Jongdae ended up having to purchase a new umbrella for the somewhat startling price of nine euros, unsure if his camera case could withstand any more rain. By then he was already in a somewhat surly mood. This day had so far not gone the way he had hoped it would. He found his thoughts drifting towards the evening before, Baekhyun’s presence so close to him, both of them enjoying some proper food and fun conversation. That’s right, it was the first time during this trip that he had had fun, for real. It had been a relief, having someone to talk to. Someone who made him feel like home. Because while Jongdae respected the country he was in, and enjoyed travelling and appreciated his company for sending him there, he was also so lost. Intimidated, scared even, of people shouting at him in a language he didn’t understand, the traffic, the unfamiliar environments that managed to frighten him during the night... He was not easily scared, he knew that, but this was his first time travelling alone like this.

This fact further complicated a problem Jongdae had later when he decided to have lunch. He found another pizza place that looked promising, but had been disappointed to end up with a different pizza from the one he had ordered. He did not know whether it was his own fault for poorly pronouncing the name of the pizza or if it was the waiter who had mixed up his order with someone else’s, but Jongdae was far too anxious to call for the waiter and try to explain the situation and hopefully receive the pizza he had ordered. Therefore he was stuck with a pizza with anchovies and zucchini flowers that he didn’t particularly like.

He wondered how Baekhyun would tackle a situation like this. The other seemed to be more used to this type of setting; that is, going abroad by himself. He also had a certain keenness, a drive; Baekhyun wouldn’t let anyone fool him or treat him badly, surely. Baekhyun would have told the waiter what was wrong straight away, Jongdae thought bitterly as he picked at an anchovy, not liking how salty they made the pizza. He had not heard Baekhyun speak much English yet, the restaurant visit yesterday had only involved simple, one word statements and pointing towards different items on the menu. Jongdae supposed he had to be fairly good at it, though, seeing as he took part in entire meetings where he had to speak the language to be able to successfully promote his product.

Jongdae left after a short time, not even having finished a third of his pizza. He still left a tip, although not an overly generous one, and headed towards his next destination.

It was not hard finding a bridge over water, as he was just walking by the Tiber. What was harder was trying to take a good picture while still balancing the umbrella over his figure, securing the shaft in his armpit as he used both his hands to operate the camera. It must have looked rather funny, because Jongdae couldn’t quite manage to hold the umbrella completely still, having it rocking back and forth slightly as he tried to shield the camera from as much water as possible. In the end he managed to take a few shots, but these were all probably a little blurry. By now Jongdae did not care much, however; he just wanted to get back to his room and change shoes. The trainers he was wearing were fully soaked thanks to the unavoidable rain and slightly flooded streets. Walking in them produced a sound similar to that of stepping on a large slug, and with every step he took he could feel the chilly water moving up between his toes, his insoles having absorbed it like sponges. Cold, wet, and miserable, Jongdae therefore left the neighbourhood.

  
  


Leaving wet stains on the carpeted hotel floor, Jongdae finally made it to his room. One thing he noticed straight away was a sheet of paper resting on the floor just behind his door, looking like it had been slid through the gap between the door and the floor. At first he thought it might be from the staff, a message from the cleaner or something, but when he turned it around and saw the language it was written in he realised who must have sent it. As he started to read it, he felt his chest grow warmer.

_Good afternoon! (Or evening, depending on when you’re finding this.)_

_I hope you’re having a nice day so far. I know I’ve had one: The meeting went well and the deal is sealed! I feel like celebrating, but that’s no fun on my own. Care to join me and have another nice meal together tonight? Didn’t you mention a fancy restaurant you wanted to visit when we had breakfast the other day? We could meet outside our rooms at seven, and you could take me there. Of course, it’ll all be my treat._

_Counting on you,_

_Baekhyun_

Jongdae sat down on his bed, heart racing. There he sat for a while, completely forgetting that he was still wearing his soaking wet trainers, trying to gather his thoughts. Baekhyun had a drive, alright. Inviting him out like that... Was he even aware that the restaurant he had in mind was quite expensive? Perhaps that didn’t matter to him.

Laying back on his bed, Jongdae read through the letter a few more times. He couldn’t believe how relieved he was that Baekhyun had contacted him again, that their dinner together the night before wasn’t about to be their last. This was almost unimaginably fortunate. Still, it did not have to mean Baekhyun had anything other than a literal dinner in mind. And though Jongdae knew he would enjoy that by itself, he couldn’t help but hope for something more. It was hard not to see the romanticism in the whole ordeal. Baekhyun, inviting him for a romantic dinner at a candlelit restaurant, just like... just like the male lead in “Roman Romance”. Who definitely had romantic intentions with his invite. Of course, something like that would be easier to pick up on, seeing as the couple in the drama were a woman and man. The chance of Baekhyun being interested in him depended on the chance of him being interested in men altogether, which was admittedly pretty slim. Yet, Jongdae could at least hope...

Normally when Jongdae liked someone, he would hide his attraction as much as possible in case the other would find him off-putting. If he was ever let on that the person might be interested too, he would try and make a move, but only then. It was not an effective method of picking people up, but he knew the risks of visibly coming on to someone; people like him were not always approved of. He had therefore tried, as always, not to make his thoughts on Baekhyun too obvious. Yet, he was surprised how Baekhyun acted, how he almost seemed to encourage them, making moves like this. And he didn’t seem to respond negatively whenever Jongdae attempted something. It was almost as if the attraction was mutual.

It all made him realise how lonely he actually was. But he was tired of it. He didn’t want to be alone anymore. Baekhyun made him feel good. Like he was the solution to this; Jongdae’s rescuer.

A shiver went up Jongdae’s spine and he realised with a start that he was still wearing his shoes, his feet engulfed in cold water. He quickly took them off, his socks too, and stuffed them with balled up newspaper pages.

  
  


A little later Jongdae went out again, having switched shoes; the weather had cleared up a bit. This time he left the hotel with the purpose of buying a proper shirt. He couldn’t go to a dinner like that in his casual clothes. Finding one wasn’t hard, a simple white dress shirt was not really the most obscure item of clothing available, and he paid for it with the money he saved from Baekhyun treating him for dinner.

On his round he stopped by the restaurant - it had just recently opened - and booked a table for two at seven thirty. If this place was indeed famous around here, it would probably be the only way for them to actually secure a table later.

Jongdae then made his way back to the hotel with the intention to take a shower. Somehow, he was feeling more nervous than yesterday. He put on his new shirt and the cleanest, nicest trousers he had brought and tried to fix his hair by parting his fringe slightly. When he exited his room just before seven he brought his camera with him; since he was actually handed the opportunity of visiting that restaurant he should really take the chance to get pictures of it as well.

Baekhyun appeared a few minutes later, looking quite striking in his black suit and now, having changed his look up, a dark grey dress shirt, which he was wearing without a tie. Dressed up but still not quite formal. Jongdae thought the dark shades of the outfit suited him well.

“Ah, you’re here!” Baekhyun looked relieved. “I didn’t know when you would be coming back, but I was hoping you wouldn’t come back and spot the letter _after_ seven.”

“I came back pretty early. But you must have been even earlier. Your meeting went well?”

“Oh, yeah, it was such a success! You know what, I’ve had many business deals like this before, but I was still a little nervous. Only a little! But still, this was a huge relief. They told me they’ve already set a date for upgrading their flagship store, replacing all their old lamps with ours...”

And so Baekhyun continued to retell his meeting during their entire walk to the metro station. Jongdae did not mind; he was happy for Baekhyun’s sake and the latter’s enthusiasm was contagious. He could not help but smile as well, albeit perhaps a bit shyly.

When they reached the neighbourhood in which the restaurant was located, Jongdae started leading Baekhyun through the different streets and alleys, having walked to the location twice before. It made him feel rather confident, almost like a guide. In spite of the darkness of the evening he found his way well. Not that the darkness hindered them much; light was coming not only from the streetlights but also shop and restaurant windows, many of them still open. This was a rather popular area: couples, families with small children, teenagers in groups of friends, obvious tourists, businessmen in suits and the occasional motorcyclists (Jongdae tried to repress his memories from earlier that day) made their way down the same streets as Jongdae and Baekhyun. They passed by a large fountain, which they could barely observe due to the large amount of people gathered around it. Yet, the sound of the pouring water, accompanied by the multitude of voices, was very atmospheric, almost musical, in a way. In spite of the night, it was not very cold, though they were sometimes hit by the odd breeze of chilly wind. The darkness made the red-coloured houses around them almost look purple, and just as they passed by an ancient-style house with white columns that seemed to shine in the night, Jongdae felt the urge to kiss Baekhyun right then and there. Just to have done it. There was no streetlight at that spot so they would be able to do it hidden from view, aided by the darkness. The thought planted itself and grew quickly in his head, and he almost turned around towards Baekhyun, who had ended up a little bit behind him. He stopped himself just in time, though, thinking that only a look right this moment would lead him elsewhere. Maybe it really was the atmosphere.

Suddenly, Jongdae felt his hand being grabbed.

“Don’t be in such a hurry, I’m gonna lose you”, Baekhyun said, and in any normal case he probably would have ended up quite muffled by the sound of the gathering by the fountain, but to Jongdae his voice was clearer than anything. He turned around automatically, finding the time to spot Baekhyun’s sly smile before he turned back again. His entire body felt electric from the touch.

“Keep up, then”, Jongdae managed to utter and continued leading Baekhyun towards the restaurant, fastening his own hand around Baekhyun’s.

They only let go when they reached the restaurant. It was nice seeing it when it was open, Jongdae thought as they entered, with lit candles on every table, most of them occupied, the constant sound of voices and the scurrying of waiters between the tables. Not to mention the scent of cooking. Baekhyun noticed it as well, as he muttered,

“Gosh, I’m hungry.”

Jongdae nodded in agreement and just after that they were spotted by one of the waiters.

“Booked a table?” the man said, immediately speaking English.

“Y-yes.”

“Name?”

“Kim”, Jongdae said, and they were soon led to a small table alongside one of the walls. Baekhyun sat down in the sofa lining the wall and Jongdae placed himself on the chair opposite him. When the waiter had left them with the menu, Baekhyun eyed him.

“You booked a table in advance?”

He didn’t sound discontented.

“Yeah. This restaurant’s supposed to be really popular, it’s recommended in lots of guidebooks and such. I just guessed that we would have to book a table if we wanted to eat here at all. Seems like that was a good idea”, Jongdae explained and nodded in the general direction of the other tables in the room, all of which had people sitting around them.

“Lots of tourists”, Baekhyun observed.

“I suppose so.”

Jongdae eyed the menu, though he was already familiar with it. It was not like he understood everything, but the most of it sounded delicious. He had a certain feeling in his stomach, hunger being part of it, but when he shifted his gaze toward Baekhyun in front of him there was something else to it, too. Tension, or excitement, or perhaps it was solely hunger, Jongdae thought as he watched Baekhyun lick his thumb to leaf through the menu.

“Hard to decide”, Baekhyun finally said, and Jongdae nodded. “There are many things I’d like to try.”

“Yeah. They have these set menus, you know, the Italian way with _primo_ and _secondo_...” Jongdae observed.

“Like, appetiser and main?”

“No, rather like two mains. One pasta dish, and one meat or fish. They seem to include bruschetta, and something for dessert too, but that’s a little-“

“Let’s go for it.”

“Huh?” Jongdae looked startedly at Baekhyun.

“Yeah, let’s try that. I’m the one paying, right?” Baekhyun repeated, sounding determined. Jongdae had to admit he liked the idea, but it was a rather pricy business.

“You sure you-“ he began, but Baekhyun waved him off with a smug-looking smile.

“It’s what I want. You’d like to try that as well, no? Especially after eating ‘mostly sandwiches’...”

Jongdae felt his cheeks heat up.

“I... I’m not a charity case”, he mumbled in a poor attempt to defend himself. Baekhyun’s smile faded.

“That’s not what I meant!” he hurriedly exclaimed. “I just... It’s me celebrating succeeding with my business deal. It wouldn’t be fun without you...”

He said the last bit in a way that made Jongdae once again feel himself blush, though for another reason.

“Uh... Sorry for saying that. I’m really grateful, you know, you doing this for me”, he said, not managing to look Baekhyun in the eyes.

“No, it’s... It’s nothing”, Baekhyun replied with a laugh that didn’t sound all that genuine. Rather, he appeared to be a bit embarrassed as well. Jongdae cleared his throat.

“Yeah.”

Saving them from the awkward silence that followed, a waiter appeared at their table.

“Ready to order?”

Baekhyun immediately pushed his finger to the menu.

“Two of this. But with small pasta”, he said quickly. Jongdae had barely read what dishes the set menu consisted of, so he turned his head towards the table again and let his eyes scan the card.

“Good choice!” the waiter said, probably not having expected them to choose the menu, “Anything to drink?”

“Eh. Wine?” Baekhyun suggested, or rather asked, turning his head towards Jongdae.

“What do you recommend?” the latter asked the waiter.

“To this menu? A red wine, something like a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.”

Jongdae looked at Baekhyun, who shrugged.

“Yes, sure”, he said. “A bottle.”

And so they started their dinner. They soon received their wine, together with some _bruschetta_ , a simple appetiser consisting of small toasted bread slices with garlic and olive oil. After that came the _primo_ , a plate each of _bucatini all’amatriciana_ , a pasta in a spicy tomato sauce with bacon. Knowing they would have to eat a lot, Baekhyun had ordered a “small pasta”, yet the size of the servings was still quite generous. At that moment, it didn’t matter that much to Jongdae since he was quite hungry and the sizeable plate of pasta made his mouth water. It turned out to be as delicious as it looked, with the perfectly cooked pasta having absorbed a lot of the flavours from the rich tomato sauce, a sauce that contained just enough heat to get the tastebuds going but not enough to actually burn. Yet, it still made Jongdae feel somewhat warm on the inside, or perhaps, that was partly due to the heat from the lit candles from the table and behind them, Baekhyun’s eyes looking straight at him.

“D’you like it?” Baekhyun asked when it had become clear to him that Jongdae had noticed his gaze.

“Yeah.”

Baekhyun did not shift his attention and something about the look in his eyes made Jongdae want to reach out and trace the shapes of his face with his fingertips. He kept his hands where they were, though, and instead shifted his legs restlessly beneath the table. He was definitely warmer than before.

It really did not help when Baekhyun took another bite of the delicious pasta, and as soon as he’d done that shifted his gaze back towards Jongdae, looking almost like he was devouring him instead of the food. It was most likely Jongdae’s mind playing tricks on him, because the hunger he personally felt was not solely for the food, and it would make sense for him to wishfully project that onto Baekhyun. Or at least, so he supposed. Baekhyun’s eyes _were_ very striking, sharp and well defined (Jongdae had started to suspect that there could be makeup involved), and his gaze was quite intense. As Jongdae looked up at him again Baekhyun licked his lips, catching some tomato sauce, and Jongdae was convinced it couldn’t solely be due to his imagination.

“Ah”, he sounded, completely involuntarily. Baekhyun raised an eyebrow.

“Huh?”

“I...” Jongdae struggled to come up with an excuse for his sudden utterance, something that didn’t have anything to do with any eventual gestures Baekhyun might’ve made.

“I didn’t get much bacon in my dish”, he finally said, reaching for straws. It was true, though, it seemed like Baekhyun had more in his bowl, but it didn’t matter much to him. Baekhyun, however, inclined his head.

“That sucks, it was really good. Here, you can have some of mine”, he said with a grin, generously stabbing a few pieces with his fork and moving it towards Jongdae. Like yesterday, Jongdae hesitated.

“Really, it’s fine, I don’t have-“

“I know”, Jongdae said hurriedly, interrupting Baekhyun just in time. Baekhyun grinned, but at that moment, one of the slices of bacon fell off the fork, passing by Jongdae’s coat on its way down to the table. Unfortunately, this resulted in a red stain on the front of his coat. Both of them noticed this, but Baekhyun seemed relieved when Jongdae started laughing. Somehow, it was just comedic. Spending time together with Baekhyun couldn’t bring Jongdae to feel sorry for the conspicuous stain on his nicest coat, especially when it was only an accident brought by Baekhyun’s niceness. It was difficult not to see the humour in it all.

After the pasta came their second mains, the _secondi piatti di carne_ , as the waiter described it. Fortunately, the size of this wasn’t as big as Jongdae had expected, but it was definitely palatable. The _abbachio alla cacciatora_ , lamb cooked in a sauce of anchovies, garlic and herbs, nearly melted in Jongdae’s mouth as he took a bite. He really liked lamb, though he didn’t eat it very often, a fact that made this occasion feel even more festive. Unlike the whole anchovies on the pizza he had tried to eat for lunch, the amount of anchovy in the sauce provided just enough salt to balance out the vinegar - and the herbs, sage especially, went perfectly together with the lamb. The rather dry and strongly flavoured wine fit the dish as well, and Jongdae had already downed two glasses of it. Or, well, considering that they had gone through both an appetiser and a primo before this it was not that abnormal.

As Jongdae reached for the bottle to fill a third glass, he realised Baekhyun hadn’t had much of the wine yet. He therefore inclined the bottle towards Baekhyun’s glass - his barely finished first - and raised his eyebrows.

“Do you want some more? Or, perhaps you didn’t like it?” he asked, mostly out of courtesy. Baekhyun eyed the glass once before answering.

“Well... only a little”, he said, and stopped Jongdae once he had filled about a fourth of the glass. “I do like it, it’s fine”, he continued, “but I’m actually pretty lightweight, and I don’t want to become piss drunk on this nice evening.”

He flashed Jongdae an exasperated smile and Jongdae gave him one in return.

“Also, I’ll have to save myself for later.”

“Later?” Jongdae asked, but Baekhyun just nodded with a cryptic smile. Supposing he meant for the dessert, Jongdae didn’t press the subject further, although the way Baekhyun looked at him made him feel quite hot.

“So... what about the camera?” Baekhyun suddenly asked as they were nearly finished with their lamb, and Jongdae flinched slightly. He had placed the camera case between his feet during the dinner, not to have it being in the way, but once he had done that he had completely forgot what it was brought there for.

“Oh, right!” he therefore exclaimed, unzipping the case to bring out the camera. As there were no waiters in sight at the moment, Jongdae quickly rose from his chair and aimed to take a picture of the interior. Despite the high prices the restaurant was not _fancy_ in any sort of way; in fact it was rather rustic, both when it came to the location and the food. Traditional Italian, or Roman in particular, dishes, served in a location a few steps beneath the ground level. The premises were decorated with old fashioned furniture, antique bottles and vases - everything in warm shades of red and brown. Even though he tried to be speedy Jongdae managed to take a few pictures that seemed to capture the general atmosphere perfectly, with most of the tables occupied by costumers involved in eager chats or indulging in the food. As he sat down again, he spotted Baekhyun giving him a curious look.

“It’s for the drama”, Jongdae explained, “we need a romantic restaurant to be the location for the main couple to confess their feelings for each other. Or, at least, come to realise that their feelings are mutual.”

“I see”, Baekhyun said, “this seems like an appropriate location. It really is romantic, huh?”

He looked straight towards Jongdae with a smile that couldn’t mean anything else than what Jongdae was thinking, too. _It sure was_. Jongdae felt his heart beating faster as Baekhyun’s smile became wider, probably having noticed the effect he had on him.

“Was that why you wanted to go to this place in particular?” Baekhyun asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh, well...”

Jongdae did not want it to seem like he was using Baekhyun’s generosity for his personal purposes. Luckily, Baekhyun started talking again before he could continue.

“And here I was hoping that you mentioned it because of me...”

Jongdae’s face burned as he realised what Baekhyun meant.

“No, I, uh, I had heard this was a good one, so... I thought you would like it, too. I’ve taken pictures of lots of restaurants already, so it really doesn’t have to be this one in specific for the drama.” He tried his best not to touch on the topic of deliberately choosing a romantic location for the two of them to have dinner, even though his head was spinning slightly.

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. I think I’m rather interested in that drama”, Baekhyun continued.

“There’s no need. It’s pretty cheesy and-“ Jongdae was about to say the word _unrealistic_ , but he realised something. What was happening right now, right here, between the two of them was not that far off from the events of the drama series. Not at all.

Baekhyun laughed.

“You _are_ working for SuTV, right? Shouldn’t you try to convince me of the greatness of the drama, to make me watch it later?”

“Well, I...” Jongdae began, unsure. “I prefer being honest.”

“You would make a pretty lousy salesman, then”, Baekhyun said with a grin, and it was not meant to offend, Jongdae could tell. There really was something about that smile, the rectangular grin, and Baekhyun’s slightly arched eyebrows almost giving him a smug look, a look that made Jongdae’s legs feel a bit weak. He looked very handsome where he was sitting, pretty even, in his light brown hair and stylish suit.

“Hold it”, Jongdae said suddenly. He had not put the camera back in its bag yet, and the sight in front of him was rather like a portrait. Baekhyun, surrounded by the roughly painted burgundy wall, his face shining with aid from the candlelight.

“Can I take a picture?”

Baekhyun smiled wider.

“Of course! I’m not out here looking like this for nothing.”

Jongdae could not help but laugh at that comment, and raised his camera again, watching Baekhyun through the viewfinder. He was really no photographer, but even he could tell that the framing of the picture, of Baekhyun leaning back against the wall that seemed to provide a deep, earthy contrast to his bright skin and hair, was quite striking. The unposed smile would make the picture look genuine, like a snap of the moment. Then, Baekhyun leaned back additionally and raised a hand towards his face, making a rather lazy peace sign. Despite the camera covering a large part of Jongdae’s face, Baekhyun must have caught his smile as he started looking a bit smug. There was a sort of lazy smirk on his face, coupled with half-lidded eyes. The pose he was in was cute, but the look on his face said otherwise. Jongdae snapped another picture and then lowered his camera, as a shiver made its way down his spine.

“Good pictures?” Baekhyun asked.

“I think so.”

Baekhyun leaned forwards in his seat again.

“I’m sure I was born to be a model. Life decided to play a cruel trick on me and made me too short, though.”

Jongdae grinned.

“Really, you’re not _that_ short.”

“Ah, you think?” Baekhyun asked and picked up his glass to have a drink. “We’re about the same height, aren’t we?” he said as he was done.

“I suppose so.”

“I guess it’s good that none of us is overly tall, then. Imagine sharing a table like this, with your long legs crammed beneath the table, sharing the same space...! How uncomfortable!”

As he said so, Baekhyun looked down and suddenly Jongdae felt something move against his legs. Assuming it was Baekhyun demonstrating how it would be - because the space under the table was certainly large enough for them to fit their legs without any collisions - Jongdae laughed a little. But when Baekhyun continued to slowly trace Jongdae’s leg with his own, all the way up to his thigh, Jongdae’s smile faded. Instead, he felt a jolt in his stomach, and also somewhere in the area below that as well when Baekhyun reached his mid thigh. It struck Jongdae that he wasn’t wearing a shoe, seeing as the foot that he felt against his leg was soft; certainly not covered by a hard sole. When, and how, did he do that? Surely his shoelaces were tied when they sat down by the table, and Jongdae had not seen him bend down to untie them throughout the whole evening. Looking towards Baekhyun as if about to ask, Jongdae caught his gaze and the words escaped him. There were barely any doubts in his mind any more: there was no reason for Baekhyun to look at him like that if he didn’t want him as well. Though, instead of feeling jubilant it just made Jongdae feel even more nervous. He aimed to take another sip of his wine in an attempt to calm his nerves, but found that his glass was empty. Surprised, he poured some of what was left of the bottle into it, not recalling having drunk so much.

Luckily, their dessert arrived in time to break the tense silence. Baekhyun set down his foot on the edge of Jongdae’s chair, letting it rest just next to Jongdae’s leg.

“Just feels nice to stretch a little”, Baekhyun said offhandedly and Jongdae raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

Since he was feeling quite full after everything he’d eaten, Jongdae was relieved that the dessert only consisted of a small plate of fresh fruits. He picked up a slice of orange, not really needing additional food, but it looked good enough. The pulp was ripe, sweet, the fruit probably having grown under the bright, Italian sun. Oranges were in season around this time of the year, weren’t they?

“Better than the ones from Jeju?” Baekhyun asked, leaning forward a bit. A few hairs had escaped his neatly side-swept fringe and hung down in front of his eyes.

“Ah, well, can’t say that”, Jongdae replied. Baekhyun grinned, somehow making Jongdae’s thoughts spin, and grabbed a dark red cherry from the plate. Jongdae observed him as he formed his lips around it, took a bite, removed the seed and put the rest in his mouth. By then, his lips had become stained with its juices. A purplish red stripe went from the middle to the edge of his lips, appearing especially dark against his skin.

“You... you have...” Jongdae began, but couldn’t find the words.

“What?”

“It’s...”

Instead, Jongdae leaned forward, licked his index finger, and used it to wipe off the stain at the edge of Baekhyun’s lips. It was daring, more daring than he would have been otherwise, had it not been for the drinks he’d had this evening. As Baekhyun looked at him, Jongdae licked his finger again, to remove the traces of what he’d wiped off of the other. The fact that Baekhyun watched him do so made a spark ignite in his chest. It was all too exciting, what he could do and the lines he could cross.

Baekhyun did look a bit taken aback, pressing his mouth into a thin line, almost appearing to blush. But he soon collected himself, smiling like he was about to tell Jongdae one of his usual quips.

“Next time, why don’t you just lick it off directly? If you’re gonna be like that”, he said, and smirked as Jongdae clearly showed signs of embarrassment.

They left most of the fruit untouched, feeling quite full after everything they’d had that evening. However, while considering paying for their meals and leaving, the waiter appeared at their table with two small glasses and a bottle.

“Digestivo, on the house. This is _grappa_ “, he explained, and poured each of them a small glass of the spirit.

“Ah, of course. An after-meal drink”, Baekhyun said when the waiter had left them. “For digesting the heavy meal.”

“Heavy, indeed”, Jongdae agreed and raised his glass.

“Cheers”, he said softly and Baekhyun did the same. The grappa was quite strong, stronger than he had expected, and downing it all at once seemed to leave a slightly burning trail down his throat. He couldn’t help but cough once.

“Ah”, Baekhyun said and shook a little, clearly having experienced a similar sensation. “Good stuff.”

“Yeah”, Jongdae agreed, already feeling a familiar warmth kicking in.

The next time the waiter approached them, Baekhyun paid for their dinner, Jongdae almost wanting to shield his eyes to avoid seeing the price on the bill, and after Baekhyun had tied his shoelaces they left. Once they were out of the restaurant Jongdae turned towards Baekhyun, not being able to hold it any longer.

“I just.. wanted to say. Thank you, thank you so much, that was incredibly generous of you...” he began, looking into Baekhyun’s eyes although he found it a bit hard to focus. Baekhyun let out some sort of sound and looked away.

“Yeah? It’s nothing, it’s fine, you came along to my little personal celebration even though you barely know me at all. Consider me paying for it a sign of my... gratitude for that.”

“Well, you certainly made me save money on getting dinner this evening...”

“It’s a win-win situation, then!” Baekhyun exclaimed with a smile. “You got dinner and I got you.”

He laid an arm around Jongdae’s shoulder, and Jongdae felt so giddy he almost broke into laughter.

“I got you, too. So if it’s a win for you, it’s a double-win for me.”

“Okay, if you’re gonna be like that”, Baekhyun laughed, “you can repay me by showing the way back to the hotel.”

“I could do anything to repay you”, Jongdae said and when Baekhyun raised an eyebrow he just continued looking at him meaningly. He then started leading the way back through the still somewhat busy streets. The sky was pitch black, but the streets were lit, and while Jongdae couldn’t fully recall the correct way in his head, he let his legs steer him, seemingly having a memory of their own. One that hadn’t become clouded by the alcohol. He wasn’t _drunk_ , not as he saw it anyway, but the journey back to the hotel still appeared as a bit of a blur if he were to look back at it. One thing Jongdae could remember clearly, though, was that while they were standing in the metro cart, Baekhyun had one arm around his waist for the entire ride. Jongdae didn’t question it; it felt right. And he didn’t mind if anyone saw it, either. As they stepped off the train at the station Baekhyun removed his hand by moving it downwards, very briefly coming in contact with Jongdae’s backside before it had left him completely. Jongdae couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not.

It had become pretty late in the evening once they reached the hotel, so Jongdae half expected them to enter their separate rooms and go to bed. The other half was... hopeful that this was not the case. As they took the lift up to their floor Jongdae felt himself get more and more tense with every second that passed between them. It was oddly silent, which did not help. Baekhyun didn’t say anything either, instead almost intentionally looking away from him at times.

They arrived at their doors and finally, Baekhyun spoke up.

“That was a fine dinner, that”, he said after clearing his throat and Jongdae nodded.

“Yeah, with that much to eat and drink I think I’ll have trouble going to sleep”, he replied, leaning a bit closer to Baekhyun. The implications were there but vague enough.

“Oh, I’m not sleepy either, not at all. Ah.. really... You wanna come in for another glass from the minibar?”

Jongdae attempted to keep his composure as triumphant fireworks went off in his entire body. He couldn’t help but smile widely, though, and tried his best not to let his “yes” sound too eager. Baekhyun’s invite seemed to set everything in stone but Jongdae still did not want him to know that this was what he had been hoping, _craving_ to happen for the entire evening. No, this was just a simple case of an opportunity arising and him seizing it.

Baekhyun’s hotel room was (obviously) quite like his own: a rather small room with a double bed taking up a big part of the space, a small desk with a TV on top and a fridge underneath, and a wardrobe along the wall to their left. A door on the opposite wall, next to the bed, led to the bathroom. Baekhyun’s suitcase was laid out on the ground, with some things not entirely in order, clothes and folders drooping out onto the carpeted floor. On the desk lay a few documents. Baekhyun himself seemed rather unembarrassed by the messy state of his luggage, though. As soon as he entered his room he removed his suit jacket and unbuttoned two of the buttons on his shirt; with his by now pretty unruly hair he evoked an image of a very relaxed, laid-back person. It was somehow an even more attractive look than his previous dressed up state.

“Ah, nice to be back”, he said conversationally, and gestured towards the room. “Suppose yours looks like this as well?”

The entire situation made Jongdae feel stupidly giggly.

“No, the bed is double that size and there’s a big picture of an elephant on the wall above it”, he said and laughed when he saw Baekhyun’s perplexed expression.

“No, it’s pretty much the same”, he clarified when Baekhyun caught on. “I wish there were an image of an elephant there, though.”

“Why?”

Jongdae shrugged.

“Elephants are just neat.”

Baekhyun shook his head amusedly and bent down to open the fridge beneath the desk.

“So... anything in particular that you want? They have some small bottles of wine here, like the ones you get on airplanes, but the rest is pretty much just beer and soft drinks.”

“What about the soju?” Jongdae asked.

“So-“ Baekhyun began, befuddled, then remembered. “Oh, uh, no, I drank it all yesterday. All of the bottles.”

Jongdae grinned.

“I’m glad you’re still here with us.”

“Yeah. Now, red wine?”

Baekhyun stood up again, and turned around the two glasses that had been placed upside down on the desk. They were two normal water glasses, but it was not a fault of theirs that the hotel didn’t provide the rooms with proper wine glasses. But in all honesty, Jongdae didn’t care, and he doubted Baekhyun did either. In fact, he did not really feel like having another drink at all; the only thing he wanted to indulge in was Baekhyun himself. Skip the pretence.

In spite of the bottle having a normal twist-off lid, Baekhyun seemed to struggle to open it. When he finally succeeded his pretty hands were shaking a little, making pouring the wine into glasses a very risky business. He managed to do so with no spill and without a word handed one of the glasses to Jongdae. The latter accepted it and took a sip, watching Baekhyun do the same with still a quite shaky hand. The relaxed image from before seemed to be fully gone, instead, Baekhyun appeared rather nervous.

After taking another sip, Jongdae put his glass down on the desk with a finality that made Baekhyun start.

“Hey”, Jongdae said, smiling perhaps a bit nervously as well, and approached Baekhyun. Placing his hands on Baekhyun’s hips, Jongdae looked into the other’s eyes for a few seconds before leaning in. Just to make sure it was alright. After all, there was no misinterpreting his actions at this point.

When their lips met Baekhyun dropped his glass on the desk as well, almost unconsciously, the impact making the wine spill over onto the polished wood. Yet, none of them wasted any energy thinking about that at the moment. The kiss was far from static; they both reacted to the contact as if they were hungry for it. As their lips slid against each other, overlapping at times, Jongdae tilted his head slightly to the right and let his eyelids flutter shut. Baekhyun opened his mouth a little and released a sigh, the hot puff of air grazing Jongdae’s lips made him want more. Even before Baekhyun had the chance to take another breath Jongdae was leaning in again, catching Baekhyun’s upper lip between his own, sucking on it. Baekhyun, seemingly eager as well, let his tongue run across Jongdae’s lower lip and Jongdae took that as a chance to open his mouth, letting Baekhyun in. His whole body burned when he felt Baekhyun’s tongue against his own, of excitement, desire. Baekhyun, unsurprisingly, tasted like the wine they’d just had, a bit sour, but his breaths had both a salty and sweet tinge to them.

It was a hot, wet kiss, and Jongdae would have reached up to wipe away a drop of saliva that started to make its way down his chin if it wasn’t for another pair of hands doing it for him. Baekhyun’s fingers caressed the line of his chin, then slid back to the sides of his face, angling his head back a little. Jongdae let out a grunt and dug his own hands deeper into the fabric of Baekhyun’s trousers, tangling his fingers in the belt loops. He held onto him for dear life, the somewhat sour taste of Baekhyun himself intoxicating him further, like he was thirsty again and Baekhyun was the wine presented to him. He could hear Baekhyun beginning to breathe heavily through his nose, and feel it too, the warm breaths caressing his cheek. Jongdae felt himself starting to do the same, his heartbeat turning frantic; yet he didn’t want to part, instead leaning his body closer to Baekhyun’s like he was a magnet stuck to the opposite pole.

Baekhyun didn’t seem to mind Jongdae’s need for proximity, judging by the sound he made that caused Jongdae’s entire body to feel unsteady. He buried his fingers in the hair on the back of Jongdae’s head, pulling the strands slightly, making Jongdae release a high-pitched gasp. Hearing this, Baekhyun let go and they separated.

For a couple of seconds they just stood facing each other, breathing as if they’d just exercised. Jongdae, having opened his eyes, quite liked what he saw; the riled up look in Baekhyun’s face, the redness and shine of his slightly opened lips. The way he watched him purposely with dark, half-lidded eyes. It gave Jongdae a burning impulse to do really disgraceful things.

“Thank god”, Baekhyun finally uttered, his voice sounding a bit unclear. “I’m not the only one who’s had other thoughts this entire evening.”

Jongdae smiled.

“Yeah. You didn’t notice?”

“Well, yeah, I kinda noticed. Or at least hoped.” He smiled sheepishly, then raised his voice a pitch, seemingly trying to copy Jongdae.

“Hey, you... you have something...” he began, and Jongdae blushed, thinking about the dinner they’d had.

“You... did something like that too, didn’t you?” he attempted to defend himself, remembering their first dinner together. Baekhyun didn’t pay attention to those words and instead leaned forward, and briefly but intently licked the corner of Jongdae’s mouth, once again making Jongdae’s body burn with desire.

“Should’ve done that instead”, he said smugly and leaned back, but Jongdae followed him.

“Alright”, he said nonchalantly, and leaned in again to catch Baekhyun’s lips. He almost pressed his tongue against the corresponding spot on Baekhyun’s mouth, making Baekhyun gasp. As he did so, Jongdae invited himself into the gap between Baekhyun’s lips, and once again, they were breathing the same air, exchanging body heat. Baekhyun reached around Jongdae and curled his arms around his waist, letting his hands rest in the dip of Jongdae’s lower back. This pushed them closer together, but somehow that was not enough, and Jongdae found himself searching for more contact. His hands roamed around the fabric of edge of Baekhyun’s shirt, pushing it up to make contact with his hipbones. His skin was warm, hot almost, mimicking Jongdae’s own feelings. He whined when Baekhyun bit his lower lip, overcome with lust, and that only seemed to rile Baekhyun up more as he brought their pelvic areas closer together by firmly pushing Jongdae’s ass towards him. Jongdae’s own hands were now halfway down Baekhyun’s trousers, and in the middle of that they paused, breaking apart to gaze at each other through barely opened eyes. Baekhyun whispered something obscene and somehow they ended up on the bed, Baekhyun sitting down on the edge as Jongdae climbed into his lap, straddling him. In a need for more skin to skin contact both of their shirts had been unbuttoned, and Baekhyun made his way down Jongdae’s neck, covering him in sloppy, wet kisses. His hands were stroking Jongdae’s still clothed thighs, almost massaging them. Baekhyun let a tooth graze his collarbone, and when he moved downwards to his chest Jongdae was almost convinced that he would be able to hear, even feel, the heavy pumps of his heart. Once he’d reached a sensitive spot Jongdae couldn’t take it any longer and grabbed Baekhyun’s hands, interlocking their fingers, and pushed Baekhyun down onto the bed. This seemed to throw Baekhyun off guard; he simply lay there, looking up at Jongdae with his lips parted, his chest rising and falling with his heavy breaths. He looked gorgeous.

Jongdae released his grip on Baekhyun’s hands and dived forward to kiss him again. With the way their legs were positioned he could clearly feel that Baekhyun was as excited as him, so it was not much of a surprise when his hands started roaming along Jongdae’s body again, seeking more contact. When he slipped his fingers beneath the fabric at the back of Jongdae’s trousers, they were barely even kissing anymore, more just breathing into each other’s faces. Baekhyun’s hands worked in a way that made Jongdae release a high-pitched whine. Judging from Baekhyun’s facial expression this was what he had wanted.

“Please”, Jongdae finally breathed out, his mind filled with only one thing, the blood in his veins pulsing, burning. He wanted to know, he _needed_ to know if Baekhyun was the one. And he needed him now.

Baekhyun complied, gently shoving him off to reach for his bag.

  
  


  
  


When Jongdae opened his eyes it was bright, too bright, and his initial reaction was to shut them close again. But then, the shock of being somewhere else than his home struck him, until his thoughts gathered properly, reminding him that he was overseas, staying at a hotel. The second shock hit him a few seconds later, when he heard a few footsteps and the distinct sound of someone brushing their teeth. This forced him to open his eyes again, rolling around to see Baekhyun standing by the other edge of the bed, dressed up in a casual dress shirt and trousers as he was, indeed, brushing his teeth. His hair was wet, presumably from showering.

“You awake?” he asked thickly through the foaming toothpaste.

Jongdae blinked a few times, realising that he had slept with his contacts in, and then nodded.

“What time is it?” he asked groggily.

“10:03”, Baekhyun answered after checking his watch, “we just missed breakfast. I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“That’s fine...” Jongdae paused to yawn loudly. “I kinda decide my schedule myself... so it’s not like I’m late for any appointment.”

“Oh, good.”

It was a rather absurd situation. Jongdae could have sworn he was in his own hotel room but the appearance of Baekhyun made him question that fact. He slowly gathered his thoughts, remembering bit by bit what had happened yesterday. Their dinner together had been great, it almost surprised him how he didn’t end up in a food coma after eating that much. They had a nice time together, and Jongdae had probably drunk a little too much, but that was bound to happen, he supposed. Then they had left for the hotel... That particular bit was hard to remember clearly but he did recall what happened when they had arrived there. The forwardness of his actions really puzzled, almost embarrassed him now; he must have been more than a little drunk, having had the courage to make such bold moves on Baekhyun like that. Not that Baekhyun had been completely sober, either. Jongdae raised himself into a sitting position and glanced towards the desk, spotting his half-filled wine glass and Baekhyun’s almost empty one, as well as the stain left by it.

He realised that he was barely dressed at all when he saw Baekhyun unsubtly gazing over at him, as the act of sitting up had uncovered his upper body. Jongdae felt a bit embarrassed and reached for the covers again, which was probably stupid since Baekhyun had seen a lot more than that last night.

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow at him.

“What?” Jongdae asked, faking ignorance.

“You’re cute”, Baekhyun unexpectedly uttered, and the only thing Jongdae was able to reply with was an embarrassed “eh”.

After that, Baekhyun entered the bathroom again to rinse, and Jongdae took the chance to get his unstable legs out of bed and put on his trousers. It was the same pair as yesterday, and they had been carelessly thrown on the floor, but it was not like he had any other clothes to choose from in Baekhyun’s room.

He used the restroom after Baekhyun, thinking that the drinks they’d had didn’t seem to have clouded their judgment, as his body didn’t feel that used and exhausted. They had been cautious enough to use protection, too, which Jongdae didn’t remember doing until he spotted a used condom in the rubbish bin. He covered it up with a crumpled paper towel for modesty before he exited the bathroom.

“You feel alright today?” Baekhyun asked once he’d joined him in the bedroom again.

“Yeah... it’s fine. I have a bit of a headache coming on, I think, but I feel alright enough.”

“I have an aspirin if you want”, Baekhyun said and started rummaging through his bag, making Jongdae think of what he’d just spotted in the bin. What kind of man brings condoms along for a business trip? Not that he was ungrateful for it, (although Baekhyun had, conveniently, told him that he didn’t have herpes it was always best to put safety first in case of other risks) but he couldn’t help but wonder.

His thoughts were interrupted when Baekhyun emerged from his bag, smiling handsomely as he handed him a tablet.

“I took one before, when I woke up, and I already feel better.”

“Thanks”, Jongdae said. “I... I think I need to get going, though.”

Both his body and mind seemed to protest that, wanting to stay with Baekhyun, especially after seeing the latter’s smile fade slightly. But he did have some places left to visit before he was completely done with his job.

“Oh, of course. Me too, I suppose. I have one last meeting at one in the afternoon, but I’ll probably be back around five again. If you’d like to have a talk, or something.”

Jongdae made sure to remember this information. Because Baekhyun definitely had disclosed it intentionally. Whatever “have a talk” meant, he was probably up for it.

“Yeah. I think I’ll... well”, his brain was still not fully awake, “I... thank you for last night.”

Jongdae had mumbled but Baekhyun had still heard it clearly, judging by how he perked up a bit at the last words.

“Oh, thank _you_ “, he said, smirking in that sexy sort of way that made Jongdae almost feel like throwing himself at him again, regardless of how tired he was. He did not do that; he only nodded as he exited the room, entering his own next door.

  
  


After fixing himself up Jongdae headed out; he purchased a cup of coffee and a sandwich at a café where he sat down to look through his notes. He was actually near finished with his job, and he realised that most of the places were not necessarily something he had to take pictures of. Piazza di Spagna, for example, was a location they’d already decided on long ago, and easily googled if they needed any additional information. Yet, Jongdae wanted to do an immaculate job and therefore, as he finished his breakfast, steered his steps towards the famous tourist spot.

He couldn’t help but find the scene in the script somewhat romantic, which was not something he had considered while reading it through the first times. The female lead takes a picture of the male lead as he stands on the highest point; his form framed by the extraordinary city view. After that they join hands and walk down the Spanish Steps together, inseparable amongst all the flocks of tourists. Jongdae’s eyes were met with the view once he’d reached the place, and he could definitely agree that it was pretty. He took a picture when he found a good spot, and briefly thought how much prettier it would become if Baekhyun had been in the frame too, just like in the scene in the drama. He would not mind holding Baekhyun’s hand and lead him down the steps, entering the fashionable streets and kissing him in a corner. Right. He only had to find that corner, first.

Jongdae strolled around the area for quite some time, not really being very useful, but enjoying himself nonetheless. Rome was a very beautiful city. It was so different from home, so picturesque, old-fashioned even, yet still constantly bustling with busy city life. Truly a good location for a romantic encounter. Jongdae almost blushed thinking back on his time there so far, his time there with Baekhyun. He had originally thought Baekhyun’s presence was a curse, something put there to tease and distract him, but it turned out it was a gift. A blessing. Whatever he had done to deserve it Jongdae didn’t know, but he was not going to question it. It was either that or a sudden burst of good luck. The chance that something like this would happen, that he would meet someone like Baekhyun at a place like this, was close to none yet it still happened. And that they connected! They connected really well. Perhaps the cheesiness of the drama was getting to him, or he was just a bit starved for affection after not having been with anyone for a long time, but Jongdae really felt like he and Baekhyun fit together like the clams and wine of the spaghetti alle vongole he’d had the other day. A perfect match, in other words. It was not like he believed they were destined or anything, maybe they were never meant to be, but right now, everything pointed towards the opposite.

He did find it a bit hard to concentrate on his actual task. At times he would glance towards his watch, even though there were many hours left to five, his eyes drifting there uncontrollably. Jongdae didn’t think it was that much of a problem, though. His job was almost done. And who could blame him, after last night? The more he thought back at it, the more he seemed to remember. All the details. Baekhyun’s figure in the dimmed lights of the room, the look in his eyes as he watched him from below, all the sounds he made, the way he breathed out Jongdae’s name more and more erratically. His hands reaching out to Jongdae’s hips to steady him, his fingers digging into his skin. Jongdae could recall almost moving with a sort of desperation, like he needed Baekhyun more than anything, and was surprised but grateful that he did not feel the aftermaths of that today, being perfectly fine with sitting down. The only feeling that still haunted him was a craving for more, to find Baekhyun again and immerse himself in his presence. The Baekhyun in his mind was winking and saying something stupidly tempting like “Come over, I’m here to break your heart”. Easier said than done, Jongdae thought, now that he hadn’t been drinking enough to gain the guts to approach him like he had done yesterday. But he was pretty sure that Baekhyun was up for it, too.

As time passed by Jongdae did find himself become more and more restless. Simultaneously, he was enjoying his rather free time that day, walking around near aimlessly, his mind somewhere on cloud nine. Had he visited all the locations yet? He thought so. He was not sure, but according to the checklist in his notes he had, and besides, he barely even cared anymore. The thought of going back to the hotel was constantly on his mind.

Finally, around four, Jongdae couldn’t hold it much longer and headed back. It was not like he was absolutely desperate to see Baekhyun again, but the thought, the tension of having an almost scheduled time to plan his day around, and look forward to, was a _lot_. Plus the fact that Baekhyun probably expected him to return.

Return he did, knocking at Baekhyun’s door at four twenty-five, hoping Baekhyun was there early. He was, and smiled upon seeing him again.

“I hoped you would come see me again”, he said, as if there had been a risk for Jongdae not to. As if there had even been a _choice_.

There was an awkward type of silence after Jongdae had been let in, like none of them knew what kind of conversation to make at this point. Luckily, all it took was a suggestive “you look good” from Baekhyun to break the tension and the two of them soon ended up in each other’s arms, lips interlocked and pulses racing.

  
  


After having been to the bathroom to wash up, Jongdae was met with the sight of Baekhyun reclining in bed, wearing nothing but the very soft-looking hotel provided bath robe. He had turned the small TV on the desk on, and was idly switching channels with the remote.

“Anything good?” Jongdae asked, his voice feeling a little hoarse. Baekhyun shrugged.

“Everything’s in Italian”, he said and settled for some news channel, putting the volume down a little. His eyes left the screen to watch Jongdae instead, who was only wearing his underwear. Somehow he was less bothered by this than he had been this morning.

“There’s another one in the wardrobe, if you want one. It’s really comfy”, Baekhyun said and pointed a long finger towards the wardrobe, on the left side of the desk. Jongdae opened it to find an identical bath robe to the one Baekhyun was wearing, and when he wrapped it around himself he realised that “comfy” had been rather an understatement. He felt incredibly relaxed as he laid down next to Baekhyun on the bed, letting his tired body rest. From what he could spot of the outside view - because thick curtains were covering almost all of the window - it had become dark.

Baekhyun rose from his position.

“You want anything to drink? A beer?”

“Yes please”, Jongdae replied and watched as Baekhyun grabbed two cans from the mini bar, handing one to him. It was with delight that Jongdae opened it and took a sip He hadn’t realised how thirsty he was, and it certainly managed to cool him down.

They simply lay there for some time, in silence, not really paying much attention to the background noise that was the TV. Jongdae stacked his pillow up against the frame of the bed, and laid on his side to look at Baekhyun. He appeared quite beautiful as he lay there, the bath robe hanging loose around his lean body, exposing a large part of his chest. One of his slender hands was still holding on to the remote, which lay beside him. He almost glowed in the dim, yellowish light from the lamps in the room.

“I’m so glad I met you here”, Jongdae said before he could stop himself. Baekhyun started at the sudden noise, but then turned his head towards Jongdae, grinning.

“The chance was like... one in a million. Or even smaller than that. I’m glad you’re here, too.”

The words made Jongdae’s entire body warm up again. Perhaps he was starting to fall for him, for real. He moved a bit closer to Baekhyun, so that he could lean against his shoulder. He was still smelling a bit sweaty but Jongdae didn’t mind. Being surrounded by warm and soft pillows, covers and the comfortable shoulder of Baekhyun naturally made Jongdae feel a bit sleepy, especially after having exerted quite a bit of energy just before. The TV programme had switched to a recap of some football game and soon Jongdae’s eyelids closed, sending him off to dreamland.

When Jongdae woke up again he was slouching against Baekhyun’s pillow, the other having moved to give him more space. Baekhyun himself was holding up a small brochure in front of him, seemingly reading its contents.

“I fell asleep”, Jongdae mumbled needlessly when Baekhyun had noticed his stirring.

“Yeah. But only for like, forty minutes.”

“What’s that?” Jongdae asked, pointing towards the brochure. Baekhyun brought it closer to him, so that he could read it as well.

“The room-service menu”, Baekhyun explained with a grin. “I was starting to feel hungry and I don’t think we’re up for going out right now, huh?”

“Oh”, Jongdae said, already feeling more awake. He had never ever used room-service, but had always wanted to. “It’s expensive, though. The restaurant downstairs is cheaper, in that case.”

“Yeah, but I’ve got it covered”, Baekhyun smiled, “it’s much cosier staying here, right? We can just lay here in our robes, and you know what, I could put on a movie on my laptop... Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Jongdae had to agree, and so they ended up making an order through the telephone. In fact, Jongdae was even the one making the order, as Baekhyun was busy starting up his laptop. They ended up choosing some generic action-with-a-dash-of-romance movie, and Jongdae once again cuddled up in the bed, feeling more comfortable than ever. After thirty minutes or so had gone by, a knock was heard on the door and Jongdae started, rising to his feet. Baekhyun eyed him, looking a bit taken aback.

“It’s the room-service”, he said and sat up, too, looking more and more confused as Jongdae rounded the bed to enter the bathroom.

“I just need to... go... You’ll open the door for them, right?”

Baekhyun nodded and Jongdae shut the door behind him. He could soon after that hear voices, and something that sounded like wheels being pushed across the carpet. Even though it soon quieted down, the exchange between Baekhyun and the room service attendant having been brief, Jongdae stayed in his place for a little longer. It was not like he was ashamed for being found sharing a room and a bed with another guy, both bare beneath their matching bathrobes (thus making it hard to reach another conclusion than the correct one). But he did, maybe, worry about embarrassing Baekhyun, or damaging his reputation as that professional businessman he’d definitely made himself appear to be, while booking the hotel stay. And he did not know what the staff at this hotel thought about these kinds of relations, anyway, if they would actually have the authority to throw any of them out for... that. If they had anything against their rooms being used for that kind of purpose when the guests were both male. Jongdae shook his head slightly; he was being paranoid, why would the hotel staff care, they just wanted to make money, he supposed. As long as they paid for the visit the staff surely wouldn’t care. Perhaps they had noticed already, because it was not like they were very subtle. In fact, Jongdae knew the rooms couldn’t be fully soundproof, since the space between the door and the floor had been enough for Baekhyun to slip a note into his room the other day. And it was not like he had been keeping quiet when visiting Baekhyun in his room. As if he had the ability to be anything but loud... This _was_ being paranoid, he thought, because the point was still the same: why would they care? He was over-dramatic; there was nothing to worry about.

Jongdae exited the bathroom with those thoughts in his head.

Baekhyun was sitting on the bed, waiting for him, with a small cart placed beside him. There were two plates of risotto and a cheese board for them, as well as two glasses of wine. In all, it looked very inviting.

“You okay?” was the first thing Baekhyun said. Jongdae decided to be honest with him.

“Yeah. Yeah, I just... didn’t know if it would be okay if they walked in when I was here.”

“Eh? I wouldn’t mind. I don’t think they would care if I had a guest, either...”

“I, well, didn’t want to, like... tarnish your reputation or anything.”

Baekhyun looked at him, contemplating.

“I guess that’s considerate of you. I don’t know, I didn’t even think of that. I guess we’re not really subtle hanging out like this”, he said with a smile and motioned with his arms, bringing attention to the bath robe.

“Exactly”, Jongdae said, relieved that he understood.

“It’s fine, though. Really. Come sit down and eat.”

Jongdae did as Baekhyun asked and placed himself on the bed again, as Baekhyun carefully carried the plates and cheeseboard over onto the bed. The glasses were placed on the nightstands. This way, they could both sit, leaning as they wished, surrounded by the comfort of the bed while eating. It felt very unprofessional, like the direct opposite of the first dinner they’d had together, but Jongdae rather enjoyed it. They had become unexpectedly close during the last few days and it excited him.

They decided to start with the risotto, so that it wouldn’t get cold, and then moved onto the crackers and cheese. It was a small board, with even smaller slices of a few different cheeses served with some crackers and fruits. None of them knew enough about cheese to be able to determine what kinds the different slices were, but Jongdae supposed that made the tasting even more interesting.

The movie was still running, but by now it had turned into mere background noise. So, when Baekhyun was the first to combine a slice of cheese with a cracker, his attention was certainly elsewhere.

“This one smells the best”, he determined and took a bite of the hard, orange-coloured cheese he had picked. Jongdae watched his contemplating facial expression amusedly.

“Is it good?” he asked, and Baekhyun furrowed his brows critically.

“It’s a very distinct cheese”, he said in a rather dramatic tone of voice, supposedly imitating that of a food critic, “Very... uh, distinct. It’s got a round flavour, ehm, with some... hints of pine? Very sandpaper-like texture.”

Jongdae couldn’t help but laugh.

“I wanna try”, he said and reached for another slice of the same cheese, but Baekhyun was quicker and waved the half-eaten cracker with cheese in front of his mouth.

“Take a bite of this, then, and see what you think.”

Jongdae smiled bashfully and took a hesitant bite from the saltine cracker, his lips immediately touching Baekhyun’s fingertips. With everything they had done so far considered, this was nothing, but Jongdae still felt his face heat up at the unintentional contact.

“It’s nice”, he said after having tasted the cheese. Its texture was pleasantly crumbly, the flavour pretty strong but not too bitter. It went well with the saltiness of the cracker.

“Now have a sip of wine”, Baekhyun continued, as if instructing him on how to eat it properly.

“What are you?” Jongdae asked, laughing, but still did as he was told.

“I’m Baekhyun von Byun, and I’m a food connoisseur. A gourmet, if you’d like”, Baekhyun said. “And please have the last of this as well, I don’t think I want any more of this one.”

“You didn’t like it?”

Baekhyun shrugged, and handed Jongdae what was left of the cracker.

“I’ll just have something else... Ah, is this a taleggio?”

Jongdae looked at him in surprise.

“You know a cheese?”

“I... Well, that’s pretty much it. And I’m not even sure if this is right”, Baekhyun said with a shrug and picked up a slice of another hard cheese, but this one looking smoother and paler than the last.

“Hm, I thought taleggio was creamier. You know, like a brie”, Jongdae commented, but he was not sure himself.

“Maybe so”, Baekhyun said with a smile, and nonetheless put the cheese on a cracker. “I’m gonna add this slice of pear, for that sweet tinge, y’know. That’s what we gourmets like to do.”

“Right.”

They continued tasting the different types of cheese; there were six kinds on the board. Jongdae could recognise pecorino, having been served it with the some of the pasta dishes he’d had during the trip, but that was where his knowledge ended. He liked it better topping his pasta than eating it on its own, though.

Baekhyun was not eating as much, perhaps he wasn’t as interested in the cheese (the cheeseboard had been Jongdae’s suggestion, anyway), but he seemed to find enjoyment in watching Jongdae taste the different slices, asking him about his thoughts on every one of them. When he had, indeed, tasted all of them, Baekhyun switched to another subject. By now, the credits of the movie were playing and they had completely missed the climax of the story. But it was not like they cared.

“So, you’re done with your job?”

Jongdae almost flinched at the unexpected question.

“Yeah, I... Yeah. I think so”, he said awkwardly; his mouth was still half-filled with cheese.

“You must’ve visited a lot of places, I’m kinda jealous. I’ve been sitting inside having meetings”, Baekhyun continued.

“Well, I guess. It’s been a bit of a struggle, though. And it’s not like I’ve had much time to do some proper touristing, really.”

“You make it sound like you didn’t enjoy it”, Baekhyun said, nudging him a little. Jongdae smiled slightly.

“It’s not like I’ve hated it. It’s really exciting, coming here, I’ve never been to Italy or anywhere close to it. But it’s my first time travelling so far on my own, so I guess it’s been a bit stressful?” Jongdae explained, opening up a bit. He hoped Baekhyun wouldn’t think of him as a coward, or just really ungrateful.

“Oh, yeah, I felt a little like that during my first trip with the job”, Baekhyun said to Jongdae’s relief, “but I think I might’ve had it easier than you, because all I did was going to a meeting in a conference room at the hotel I was staying at. So I didn’t need to get around much, finding places in an unknown city like you do.”

“You’ve travelled a lot with the job?” Jongdae asked.

“A little. Enough for me to be pretty used to it, by now.”

“And you can afford all of it?” Jongdae let slip, before he had the chance to think it through. Perhaps that was a rather insensitive question.

Luckily, Baekhyun didn’t seem to take any offence.

“Well, almost everything is funded by my employer. Hotel, flight, food... Everything I’ve got you, including this tasty room-service dinner, is being paid for with work money. So don’t feel burdened by me paying for it all.”

“...It is?” Jongdae asked hesitantly. This was complete news to him. He had just thought that Baekhyun was affluent, paying for everything out of his own pocket and unbothered about it. The fact that his employer was paying for all his spendings made Jongdae feel bad, to say the least. He didn’t want Baekhyun to end up in trouble for choosing to buy him a luxurious, almost decadent experience like this.

Baekhyun seemed to catch up with his line of thought.

“Oh, no, don’t feel bad about it. This is Black Light we’re talking about. It’s like taking a drop of water from an ocean. They even got me a seat in first class on the flight without me asking for it, so I don’t think they’d mind me spending money on food for another person.”

“Yeah.” This was slightly, but only slightly consoling.

Baekhyun stroked his arm.

“Hey, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Besides, you deserve to be able to taste some proper food while in Italy. What would you say if your friends asked you about Italian food, since you’ve been here, but you’ve only eaten sandwiches?”

Jongdae looked away, feeling a little ashamed. Again, was Baekhyun pitying him? Did he see it as his responsibility to help him with these things? Jongdae didn’t know. Another thing that rather dismayed him about this revelation was that with work money, Baekhyun did not sacrifice any of his own funds on these dinners with Jongdae, which somehow made it feel less personal. Maybe he was being a bit old-fashioned, but the gentlemanly gesture of paying for someone else’s food was much less considerate if paying was done with another party’s money. Though, Jongdae definitely felt ungrateful for even thinking that.

“Anyway, where was I”, Baekhyun spoke up, seemingly not noticing Jongdae’s shift in mood but instead continuing on the conversation as if nothing had happened. “Right, it’s your first time here, and you were nervous about it, huh? But it’s not all bad, though, is it?”

“Of course not”, Jongdae replied, “It’s just that... it’s hard to make my way around, everything’s so weird, I barely speak English and the same seems to go for them, and it’s not like I understand anything else... It’s been a few days and I still find myself missing my flat at home, my room, my bed... It would be nicer if this was just vacation, but since I’ve had a task to fulfil it’s been pretty stressful.”

“Being a location scout sounds like so much fun, though...”

“Well, it depends on what you expect. You have to travel a lot, and use a lot of research and your own imagination to come up with locations for either really vague or overly specific scenes. Also, you have to consider the cost of renting the place, and availability, and size, and stuff like weather and light conditions...”

Baekhyun moved his hand to Jongdae’s shoulder.

“Why become one, if you don’t like it?” he asked straightforwardly.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I dislike it... I like travelling enough, and I think it’s fun to do the research, but it’s just... pressuring. And it’s not like I took the job because I wanted it.”

“No? But why, then?”

Baekhyun looked at him, eyes wide in curiosity; Jongdae almost felt as if he were being x-rayed by his gaze.

“It’s, uh, the entertainment business is...” he began, directing his gaze towards the black laptop screen, not being able to face Baekhyun while he was looking at him like that. “Well...”

He had never said this to anyone before, but Baekhyun had some sort of effect on him.

“I... Ever since I was young, I wanted to be a singer. So I did an audition once, didn’t make it, but it’s not like I wanted to be an idol, anyway. I just want to sing, write songs, and get my voice out there for people to take in... Don’t laugh”, he added, but Baekhyun’s face was serious.

“I figured that if I made it into the industry somehow, I would be able to make contacts and meet people who could possibly be able to help me. Or at least, support my dream in some way. But maybe that’s a stupid thought.”

“I don’t think it’s stupid”, Baekhyun said, surprising Jongdae. He had moved his fingers to stroke the back of Jongdae’s neck, which was oddly soothing. “It’s hard to make it as an artist, you have to be discovered somehow, so knowing the right people will probably be the best way of doing that. So many people are good at singing, so you’ll need them to notice you amongst the crowd. And if you’re, say, friends with a guy who’s a friend of the boss of a record company, he might recommend you and... yeah.” Baekhyun shrugged. “Sorry, the business talk is a habit.”

“No, I appreciate it. You don’t think it’s a stupid dream?”

“No, in fact... when I was younger, I wanted to be a singer, too. You know, an idol, all glammed out with lots of fans screaming my name. My family thought it impossible so I listened to them and studied marketing instead. And, I mean, I’m happy with my job...” Baekhyun said and Jongdae nodded. “Of course, if you’re actually terrible at singing I would consider it a stupid dream”, he added with a smirk. Jongdae laughed.

“I _can_ sing! That was never the problem. Back when I did an audition, the only response I got was that while my vocals were good, I lacked ‘star quality’... Whatever that means. I think it has to do with my looks”, he said with smile, trying to keep the conversation lighthearted. He had opened up more than he had done with anyone else right now, and it was a little unnerving.

Baekhyun continued stroking the back of his neck, playing with the hem of his bath robe.

“That’s stupid, if anything. You definitely look the part”, he said, gazing at him with slightly lidded eyes. Jongdae, embarrassed, did not know what to reply, and just released a small, breathy laugh. He let Baekhyun continue to caress his neck, pulling down his robe a bit to expose his shoulders.

“It’s nice, Rome”, Baekhyun said, completely off topic. But Jongdae appreciated the gesture, happy to direct the attention away from his personal troubles.

“I guess”, Jongdae answered, “it’s pretty.”

“You said you didn’t really enjoy it, though...”

“I didn’t say that! I like it here. Especially after meeting you”, he added cheesily, watching Baekhyun’s smile get wider.

“Yeah”, he agreed, letting his hand roam somewhere around Jongdae’s collarbones.

“Feels like I’ve been really lucky”, Jongdae continued, “I don’t wanna go home.”

Baekhyun nodded, not really looking like he was taking in Jongdae’s words, his attention instead fixed on the exposed areas of Jongdae’s upper body.

“I have to leave tomorrow.”

Baekhyun removed his hand.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I really wish I could stay”, Jongdae said with a sigh.

“But... when...” Baekhyun began, seemingly ripped from his previous satisfied state, “when does your plane leave?”

“Five in the afternoon”, Jongdae said, “so to make sure I’m there early enough I’ll probably have to leave here around two. I’ll check out before noon, though.”

“No, can’t you stay? With me?”

Baekhyun looked at him, uncharacteristically imploring, and Jongdae felt his heart sink.

“There’s nothing I’d want more, but how could I?” he said, feeling like he was speaking a line akin to one of a character in the drama. It was that sappy.

“You could stay!” Baekhyun said, finding new energy, “I’m staying for another day, you can sleep in my room! Then you can go on the same flight as me the day after tomorrow, I’ll pay for all the expenses! Just tell your company that, uh... your flight was cancelled and you’ll have to stay here for another day, since there’s no way for you to get home.”

Jongdae stared at him.

“No, I can’t do that...” he said, smiling hesitantly.

“You can”, Baekhyun said, growing more and more confident by the second. “They won’t find out. And they won’t mind if you say you’ll pay for it all.”

He was now smiling widely at Jongdae, as if he were a kid that had just come up with a brilliant plan to make his parents allow him to stay up late. Not something as risky as this.

“I... I don’t even think I’m allowed to stay in your room like that, since you didn’t pay for two people”, Jongdae said, both to convince Baekhyun of the flaws of the idea, but also himself. Because he did find the thought of staying with Baekhyun appealing, in full honesty.

“I only paid for the room though, not the amount of people. And it’s just one night, they don’t have to know! They won’t notice your stuff if you put it in the closet. Just check out as you normally would tomorrow, and leave your things in my room.”

“But, I...”

“My flight leaves on Saturday morning. I’ll be in Korea sometime around Sunday. You don’t have to be at work until Monday, no? So it won’t matter if you stay another day”, Baekhyun continued. Jongdae nodded; it was true. He was to arrive on Saturday, with Sunday at home to prepare the presentation he was having on Monday. If he followed Baekhyun’s plan he would have less time for his preparations, but he supposed he could work on the plane. If he’d get anything done there at all, since Baekhyun would be with him. But then again, if they were buying a ticket for him now the chance of them ending up next to each other was pretty small.

“I’ll... think about it.”

“Really? Good.” Baekhyun smiled widely.

“It’s too late to call now, anyway. I’ll do it tomorrow morning.”

“I’d love that”, Baekhyun said, “it’s no fun here if you’re not with me.”

Jongdae looked down, feeling a little hot. It didn’t help when Baekhyun’s hand made its way onto his shoulder again, his slender fingers fluttering over the exposed skin before reaching the hem of the robe, pushing it down additionally.

“We still have some cheese left”, Baekhyun then said, nodding towards the board in front of them on the bed.

“Yeah.”

Jongdae grabbed another slice of that orange-coloured cheese, eating it on its own. Meanwhile, Baekhyun removed his hand and leaned back onto his pillow, in a relaxed half-sitting half-lying down pose.

“Why don’t you give me some of those”, he said and pointed towards a bunch of grapes that were placed on the corner of the cheeseboard. Jongdae had to restrain himself from giggling.

“You want me to feed you?!” he said incredulously.

“I never said anything about feeding, but if that’s what _you_ want...” Baekhyun smirked and Jongdae turned away in embarrassment. He leaned forward to grab the grapes nonetheless, and doing so he made an attempt to pull his bath robe up again, to which Baekhyun exclaimed,

“No! Leave it”, and Jongdae complied.

When he brought a grape to Baekhyun’s mouth and Baekhyun made sure to let his lips linger on his fingertip for a second or two, Jongdae felt like this was getting more decadent than ever. Baekhyun put on a little bit of a show, too, by leaning back and emitting rather exaggerated sounds of pleasure as he tasted the grapes. It was both funny and annoying at the same time. Most of all, though, Jongdae felt as though he were being teased.

“They’re really sweet, why don’t you have one”, Baekhyun said and took the grape Jongdae was holding between his fingers, reaching up to his lips to feed him it in return. Jongdae, on the other hand, saw this as a chance to get back at Baekhyun, so when he opened his mouth he didn’t only catch the grape, but also Baekhyun’s index finger. Satisfactorily watching Baekhyun’s surprised expression, Jongdae circled his tongue around Baekhyun’s fingertip. How he liked those fingers... Baekhyun was completely silent for the whole ordeal, except for when he gasped quietly when Jongdae sucked lightly on his finger. Jongdae took that as a cue to let go.

With the release of his finger, Baekhyun seemed to regain his confidence. He wiped it off on Jongdae’s collarbone, running it down his chest.

“There are better things to put in your mouth than my fingers”, he uttered while smiling angelically, as if he had said something completely inoffensive. Jongdae blushed, but grinned excitedly nonetheless.

“Like what?” he breathed out, faking innocence as well.

“Like this”, Baekhyun said and, to Jongdae’s surprise (and possibly dismay), reached towards the cheeseboard, assembling a slice of cheese on top of a cracker. He turned towards Jongdae with the intention of feeding him it, but ended up laughing.

“You should see your face!” Baekhyun exclaimed, giggling gleefully. Jongdae rolled his eyes.

“You’re a menace”, he said, “Give me that.”

But Baekhyun didn’t let go of the cracker, instead holding it out just in front of Jongdae’s mouth. This way, Jongdae had to incline his head a little to take a bite. As he did so, a few crumbles came loose from the cracker and landed somewhere inside of Jongdae’s bath robe.

Having witnessed this as clearly as Jongdae had felt it, Baekhyun commented,

“Oops. Should I get that for you?”

He put the rest of the cracker down on the board again, which he set aside. Then, he once again ran his long fingers down Jongdae’s chest, making Jongdae shiver in anticipation. So when Baekhyun made a move to untie his robe, Jongdae let him.

  
  


  
  


The next morning was almost as late as the previous one. Jongdae awoke in the arms of another, but this time he was not hit by shock or even surprise. Baekhyun had his face almost buried in Jongdae’s hair, and with his breathing the spot had become rather warm. Jongdae twitched a little bit, which seemed to wake Baekhyun up as well.

“Slept well?” Jongdae asked and Baekhyun smiled in response. They took their time to blink, stretch and get used to the state of full consciousness. Jongdae quite enjoyed the sight of Baekhyun rising to a sitting position, stretching his lean arms and bare upper body in the sunlight peeking in through a gap in the curtains.

“Ready to face the day?” Baekhyun asked, and Jongdae was about to nod until he remembered what they had said the previous evening.

“I...” he began, but quieted down. The look in Baekhyun’s eyes felt too much already. How could he choose anything that would remove him from this warm bed that they shared? Obviously, his thoughts were affected by his current comfort and enjoyment, but getting ready to leave was something that felt distant, unreal, impossible.

“I want to stay with you”, Jongdae said, and Baekhyun leaned up against him.

“Yeah”, he simply replied, understanding. Perhaps it was only Jongdae’s imagination, but it sounded a little triumphant.

“So...” Jongdae said, and reached for his phone. It was something that needed to be done, so why not now. As early as possible. Not to make it seem like a last minute decision.

He scrolled through the contacts on his phone until he found the one called “SuTV - Kim Minseok”. His boss.

Kim Minseok was by not necessarily one of the absolute higher-ups of the company, but he was the Locations Manager and therefore Jongdae’s boss; he was responsible for clearing the location, meaning that he investigated and ensured the availability of the site, as well as booking it and scheduling shootings, also obtaining film permits and insurance. He was also the one notifying the people in the area of the filming as not to cause any interruptions. Later, during the filming, he took care of transporting the crew to and from the locations, problem solving, crowd control and ensuring parking spaces for the crew. Basically he acted as the main contact between the production crew and the owner of the location. While Jongdae was the one providing the department with ideas and practical information regarding the locations, Minseok was the one taking care of all the boring, dull stuff. Jongdae had worked with him before and thought nothing bad of him. In fact, Minseok had always been very considerate and usually gave him pretty free hands, and supported him in his choices. Therefore, Jongdae expected it to be rather easy to convince him, but at the same time, it made the ordeal feel more immoral. Like he was taking advantage of Minseok’s kindness.

Before he could regret it, Jongdae pushed the call button. Minseok answered within a few signals.

“Yes, hello, it’s me”, Jongdae said once he heard Minseok’s voice on the other line. He noticed Baekhyun giving him some space, laying down on his side of the bed and wrapping himself in the covers again.

“Is everything getting along well? Was the time enough for you?” Minseok asked, and Jongdae realised with a sinking heart that he already had been quite generous with the time he had given Jongdae, allowing him to stay there for almost a week.

“Well, yes. I think I’m done. It’s just...” Jongdae took a deep but quiet breath, “there are some problems... with the flight. It’s been cancelled, I only received the information today.”

“Really?” said Minseok, and Jongdae nodded, then remembered that he couldn’t see him. In a way that was a good thing, seeing as he was sitting in bed only half-dressed, with another equally bare man lying next to him.

“Yes.”

“The flight was supposed to leave in the afternoon, right? So has it been delayed, or what are you saying?”

“It’s not delayed. It was, uh, cancelled. The message I got didn’t contain any details, but I’m guessing there might be something wrong with the plane... you know, mechanically, that prevents them from flying it...”

Baekhyun turned towards him, smiling. It only made Jongdae feel more nervous.

“Oh. Well, that’s not good. What are you going to do?”

“There’s another flight tomorrow, so I suppose that’s the only choice. I’ll have to stay another night at the hotel, but that’s alright, I’ll take care of it”, he added the last bit when Minseok sounded like he was about to speak up. “I’ll take care of the flight situation, too. I just thought you should know that I’ll be arriving a day later.”

“That’s unfortunate”, Minseok said, sounding thoughtful. “And of course we’ll have to solve the issue of paying for the hotel stay...”

“No, I’ll manage!” Jongdae exclaimed, not wanting to lure the company to pay for his personal expenses. It felt wrong.

“We’ll talk about it when you get home, then”, Minseok said with a certain finality. “Have you received any compensation from the airline? Will you be guaranteed a seat on the next flight?”

“It’s... No, I haven’t. Hopefully I will, soon. And I’m booking a ticket, it’s not full, to my knowledge, so it’ll work out. I’ll arrive on Sunday, instead, but that won’t stop me from attending the meeting on Monday, no?”

“That’s true, I suppose. I just think it’s rather irresponsible of the airline to give you so little information, and no compensation... Stranding their passengers like this...”

Jongdae made a sound of agreement, but didn’t push the subject further, not wanting to create an entire web of lies he wouldn’t be able to manage.

They bid their goodbyes and Jongdae sighed in relief once he put his phone down. He finally looked at Baekhyun again to notice his wide, rectangular smile.

“You did it?” he asked, almost childishly happy.

“Yeah. Yeah, he seemed to believe me”, Jongdae said, finally coming to terms with the reality of it all. “God, I can’t believe that worked. I did it! We did it!”

Baekhyun laughed and put his arms up triumphantly.

“You’re staying with me!” he near shouted. “Let’s have a nice, relaxing day, shall we?”

Jongdae nodded, feeling like he was full of laughter as well. He lay down again and cuddled up to Baekhyun, as a warm sensation spread through his entire body. It had almost been too easy. Right now, all he wanted to do was to stay in that bed forever, with Baekhyun’s arms around him and the feeling of pure, utter joy in his chest. There was no better place on Earth.

Eventually, though, they had to get up. Perhaps the celebratory mood had got to them, because when Baekhyun went to the bathroom to take a shower Jongdae followed him, only to end up on his knees before they even had turned on the water. This morning was already late, but things like these seemed only to contribute to them missing the hotel breakfast for the second morning in a row. It was not like they minded, though. Their giddiness at the prospect of spending another 24 hours together made up for it all.

After they’d finally got around to cleaning themselves, Jongdae left the bathroom to dry off naturally while Baekhyun stayed to blow-dry his hair. In the meantime he reclined on the bed, but flinched in surprise when he heard a loud buzzing next to him. He glanced at what was supposedly Baekhyun’s phone, not wanting to spy, but just curious as to where the sound came from.

Baekhyun had received three new text messages from a contact named _‘Som-noona_ :

_Baekhyunnie~ how is Rome? Is it romantic? You should have brought me then! haha_

Jongdae definitely did not mean to spy, but once he had read that first message his eyes automatically directed themselves to the other two, needing to know more.

_Anyway, come back soon! Noona misses you!! Can’t wait to see you again and have a talk..._

_If you know what I mean hihi_

Jongdae’s heart stopped for a second or two. He just stared at the screen, even after it had gone black, trying to make sense of it all. There was only really one possible meaning behind those messages, right?

He detached his gaze once Baekhyun entered the room again. Yet, he could not have looked very blasé, because when Baekhyun set his eyes on him he had to ask,

“What’s up?”

“Nothing?” Jongdae said, trying to sound surprised by the question. “I need to go get ready, in my room.”

This was true, he had all his clothes and hygiene products in his room still, and he wasn’t going to spend the day lying around in a bath robe again. So he got up and headed towards the door, leaving a slightly puzzled Baekhyun behind.

After his retreat to his room, Jongdae slouched down on the floor instead of doing anything productive. His heart was racing in his chest, and his thoughts were all jumbled up. Everything had been perfect just a few minutes ago, so how could things fall apart so quickly?

Jongdae put his face in his hands, sighing. Perhaps he had been foolish, impulsive, rash even, thinking that this was anything else than a simple fling. Hell, he didn’t even know Baekhyun, so why would he mean anything to him? This was not his business at all, so he shouldn’t care, Jongdae thought. It was all Baekhyun’s problem. So why did it hurt so much?

Baekhyun had even used the term “have a talk”, which just felt like a silly and unimaginative euphemism, when they’d spoken yesterday... There was no way that the person in his messages could have meant something else.

He really was stupid, for already having fallen so deep, for already wanting more than just... whatever this was. Jongdae supposed this was it; they were going to separate tomorrow after the flight home, Baekhyun was going to return to his girlfriend, and Jongdae was going to go back to his job, still longing for him like the idiot he was. Maybe even the girlfriend would be there at the airport, waiting for Baekhyun and ready to sprinkle salt in Jongdae’s wounds, he thought bitterly. Did she know, when she had sent those messages, what Baekhyun had been up to just a few minutes prior? He was both ashamed and triumphant simultaneously. Perhaps he had been played, or used, but at least he had got to experience it. Being chosen by Baekhyun, important enough for him to risk going behind his girlfriend’s back. That was a terrible way of thinking, though.

Jongdae finally got up. As he was dressing up and readying himself in the bathroom, he tried to gather his thoughts as well as possible. Calming down from the initial shock. That was necessary, for when he was facing Baekhyun again.

When Jongdae headed back to Baekhyun’s room again, he only had one thing on his mind. He had to ask. Due to the ever so slight chance that it might not have been a girlfriend, he had to. So when Baekhyun opened the door for him, he felt quite focussed. This changed once he looked at Baekhyun again, though, and his legs immediately felt weaker.

Baekhyun had neatly brushed his hair, but he had not slicked it aside, giving him a much softer look. He was not dressed up in a suit either; he was casual, wearing a rather fashionable sweater and skinny jeans. It was a different image from what he had looked previously, but Jongdae did not dislike it at all.

“You look good”, Baekhyun told him, as if he were reading Jongdae’s thoughts and decided to compliment him back. His smile was already too much, and Jongdae looked down, muttering a simple “ah”.

By then, Jongdae had already almost forgotten about the whole ordeal, until he heard Baekhyun’s phone buzzing. When it happened, he felt as though his stomach dropped. It only made things worse when Baekhyun walked back towards the bed, picking up his phone and typing something out. Jongdae stayed by the door and watched him, not knowing what to do in the absurdity of this situation.

Finally, when Baekhyun had stopped typing and put down his phone, Jongdae asked him.

“Is that your girlfriend?”

Quite obviously, this caught Baekhyun off guard.

“Huh?” he said, flinching slightly when he heard the question.

“I saw the messages, when you were in the bathroom. I didn’t mean to”, Jongdae confessed, feeling ashamed. Thankfully, instead of being angry with him, Baekhyun looked even more flustered than Jongdae.

“I... uh. Yes. Kind of. Not really”, he said, stumbling over his words. “It’s nothing, really.”

Half having expected Baekhyun to laugh at him for even caring, Jongdae was relieved. At the same time, the confirmation that this was indeed his girlfriend brought him more dread.

“I...” he began, but stopped himself. There was not much he could say.

“Yeah. It’s nothing you have to care about, it’s all on me. Don’t feel bad”, Baekhyun said and arose to his feet. No words about the legitimacy of their own relationship, or whatever it was, nothing to convince Jongdae he meant anything that they’d done together...

“But, won’t she be upset?” Jongdae asked, pressing him a little, wanting to know his stance on it all. Baekhyun walked closer to him.

“Oh... no, we have an understanding”, he said, which did not help at all. Jongdae, selfishly, didn’t care about the feelings of this mystery girlfriend, he only cared about how Baekhyun felt. And this seemed to confirm it all. He could pick up someone like Jongdae while travelling, have some fun, then go back to his girlfriend and be happy. Of course. This was nothing serious. Jongdae turned away from Baekhyun for a little bit, not wanting him to see how much this really affected him.

“Jongdae...” Baekhyun said softly and walked up to him, putting his hands on his waist, embracing him from behind.

“Don’t worry about it”, he continued, his breath grazing Jongdae’s neck, and Jongdae could not stop himself from shivering. This was something Baekhyun noticed, as well. Jongdae soon felt Baekhyun’s warm lips on his neck, covering the area with small, soft kisses. This was deliberate, Jongdae thought, but he still leaned back, letting Baekhyun continue. As the warmth spread through his entire being, Jongdae closed his eyes, giving himself completely away to the feeling. He was so weak. There was nothing he could do but to give in; Baekhyun, who was the problem to begin with, managed to comfort him so well. Perhaps they weren’t meant to be, but he might as well enjoy it while it lasted.

  
  


It was already eleven in the morning when they finally left the room, heading for a restaurant or a café since they hadn’t eaten anything yet. Baekhyun went outside while Jongdae walked up to the reception desk, about to check out, not to raise suspicion. When he was asked if he wanted them to keep his luggage when he was out, Jongdae declined, seeing as he had already dumped it all in Baekhyun’s room. So far, the plan was going smoothly. Jongdae tried to ignore any second thoughts that appeared in his head.

They found a place that served generous plates of continental breakfast. Toast, breadrolls, ham (to Baekhyun’s delight), cheese, jam and fresh fruits were all crammed together on a plate each. Being hungry, both of them immediately initiated the business of eating. It all tasted very good, in all honesty better than the breakfast at the hotel.

Throughout their meal, they managed to crack a few jokes between themselves, and the overall atmosphere was cheery enough for Jongdae to temporarily forget about the whole business of the girlfriend, and how Baekhyun just had shrugged it off. He was living in the moment, enjoying this fleeting feeling before it faded away. Which it would eventually do; Jongdae had accepted that as a fact. Therefore, he laughed when Baekhyun spread jam on a slice of pear, adding a bit of cheese on the top and finally downed it all in a mouthful. Somehow, it would be nice if this trip never ended.

A situation came up when they were done and Baekhyun was about to pay for their meal. The waiter returned to their table after some time with Baekhyun’s card, telling him they had problems with the card reader.

“The card reader isn’t functioning... We don’t know if it stopped working or if it is because your card is foreign”, the waiter informed him, but Baekhyun merely gazed at him questioningly.

“Sorry?” he asked, and the guy repeated the sentence. When he showed no sign of grappling the situation Jongdae took it upon himself to tell Baekhyun, in his native language, the gist of what was going on.

“Ah, no, I understood there was something wrong”, Baekhyun said, then turned to the waiter.

“Try one more time?” he asked and the waiter shrugged, leaving for the counter again. Baekhyun turned towards Jongdae again.

“I hope it works. I don’t know if I have enough cash in my wallet”, he said with a sigh. “Man, I hate speaking English.”

Jongdae raised an eyebrow at this sudden confession, but agreed with the sentiment.

“Me too”, he said sympathetically, “but it’s what you have to do when travelling, I guess. I thought you were used to these trips.”

“I kinda am, but-“ Baekhyun started, but then the waiter appeared at their table again.

“No. _Finito_. No good. Can you pay with paper money instead?” he asked, and Baekhyun, once again, gave him a blank face.

“Huh? I pay?” he said, and Jongdae told him, “with paper money”.

“Ah, well, let’s see”, Baekhyun rummaged through his wallet, looking for the correct amount. “How much, again?”

“21 euros”, the man said and Baekhyun nodded, pulling out a 10 euro note. He then searched through the pocket for coins, managing to produce 7 euros and 60 cents. Jongdae immediately reached for his own wallet to take out a 5 euro note, putting it in the pile.

“Keep the change”, he said and soon after that, they both left.

“You shouldn’t have had to pay”, Baekhyun said, but Jongdae smiled amusedly.

“You’ve already paid for so much. This was just five euros, it’s nothing.”

“If you say so. Weird how they couldn’t get the machine to work.”

“It was either that or that it couldn’t accept your card”, Jongdae explained.

“Ah, really? I missed that. In that case, I could’ve tried my other card. My personal one. That one was from work.”

“Uh-huh?”

“Well, I’m, I guess I panicked a bit. I really dislike speaking English, I’m not good at it”, Baekhyun said, again, and Jongdae realised that he’d barely heard him speak English before. Not much, anyway. The times they had ordered food, Jongdae had been the one ordering. And it was not like he felt comfortable speaking it, either.

“But you travel a lot, no? And you’ve had entire meetings...” Jongdae trailed off, feeling puzzled by it all. Baekhyun smiled sheepishly, looking near offensively handsome.

“Ah, I do... And they go well, I’m sure. Sometimes you don’t need to be able to speak like a native to create great business deals. As long as you know just about what to say, and if your product is good... It’s really not that hard.”

He once again smiled at Jongdae, convincing him of the truth of these words. Maybe he didn’t need to speak the language well to be able to sell something, as long as he had the skill, the charms... Baekhyun was, after all, very charismatic. And he seemed to know what he was on about, mostly. So far, he had managed to convince Jongdae of many things. Maybe that was just his skill. Why he had the job, to begin with.

The most risky thing Baekhyun had convinced him to do was, however, not anywhere near Jongdae’s thoughts as they slowly made their way back to the hotel. They stopped a few times to enter some fun-looking souvenir shops, where Jongdae foolishly ended up purchasing a small bottle of limoncello shaped like the country of Italy. He didn’t mind, though, sometimes travelling was all about doing foolish things. Even if he was travelling for work.

When they came back to the room the clock was almost one in the afternoon. Jongdae opened his bag and took out some things, trying to rearrange the contents to fit the bottle he just bought. He didn’t notice that something was off until he took out his phone, spotting a new notification. A missed call from Minseok.

With a worrying sensation gathering in his stomach, Jongdae did what he was obligated to do and called him back.

“Hello?”

“Ah, good, it’s you”, Minseok answered, but to Jongdae’s dismay, he didn’t sound very delighted. Not upset, but not trying to please either.

“You called me...” Jongdae began, feeling unsure.

“Yes, I, I was wondering... if you were taking the flight this afternoon after all, because according to the flight info it isn’t cancelled anymore.”

Jongdae froze.

“So...” Minseok continued, and Jongdae realised he had to speak up.

“Uh, yeah”, he said, not really providing a satisfactory answer, feeling a little too shaken to be able to. He had been so stupid. How could he had expected Minseok, and everyone else for that matter, to simply believe that the flight was cancelled without looking it up for themselves? He had even thought that it had been too easy. Turns out it, in fact, _was_ too easy. Too easy, too simple to get away with.

“Well, I... It’s not?” Jongdae tried, unconvincingly faking surprise. He had already realised it was too late.

“It was never cancelled”, Minseok said, still in a matter-of-factly tone of voice, not angry. But the usual softness of his voice was gone.

“No, well”, Jongdae said, near speechless. What was he supposed to say at this point? “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not all”, Minseok continued, and now, he was speaking rather slowly, tentatively. “I don’t know what you’re up to, really, and I don’t... care, I just expect you to do your job... I was just, concerned with your, uh, productivity. The pictures...”

And Jongdae thought it couldn’t get any worse. But now, he remembered the absolutely incomprehensible decision to take photos of Baekhyun at the restaurant.

“I found some that, well, hardly seemed relevant to the task, and...” Minseok sighed, and Jongdae’s heart broke. “Jongdae, what are you doing?”

He almost felt like crying. He looked towards Baekhyun, who had been sitting by the desk sorting through some papers but was now watching him concernedly, not knowing what was happening but probably having noticed Jongdae’s troubled state.

“I... I’m sorry. It’s, uh... The guy, at the restaurant, I just met him, he’s... He wanted to have his picture taken, I’m sorry”, he hastily tried to explain, hoping that Minseok hadn’t picked up on the romantic setting of the images and thus come to the right, but humiliating, conclusion.

“Okay, Jongdae”, Minseok began again, interrupting his spewing of words, “I don’t care what you’re up to in your free time, right? As long as it doesn’t affect your work. I looked at your pictures so far after you called, and they looked fine, but I was... surprised by the more, ehm, personal ones. I don’t care who this person is, or what your relation is, but if it is what causes you to postpone your return I can’t say anything more than that I think it’s very irresponsible. I don’t know what more I can say to make you understand.”

“No, I understand. I’m so sorry”, Jongdae repeated, his voice breaking on the last word. The disappointment in Minseok’s voice felt even worse than his actual words.

“Right. We’ll talk about it when we meet again, just... well. Return as soon as possible.”

“I will”, Jongdae almost whispered, and Minseok hung up. It was truly terrible. Minseok hadn’t sounded angry, he had in fact never been angry with him before, but the utter disappointment, the powerlessness of his voice, was almost worse. It made Jongdae regret everything; Minseok had never been anything but nice to him and he had betrayed his trust. He wouldn’t be surprised if his job was in jeopardy because of it.

“What... what’s up?” asked Baekhyun carefully, and Jongdae started, having forgotten he was there.

“Min-, ah, my boss, he discovered that I lied”, he said simply.

“About... about the flight...?” Baekhyun continued, somehow even more carefully than before, as if treading on glass.

“Well, yeah. That it isn’t cancelled. Also, he found the pictures I took of you in the restaurant”, Jongdae spoke rather matter-of-factly, soullessly.

“Oh”, Baekhyun said. “Wait, how?”

“The camera has a wi-fi connection. The photos are automatically sent to our shared cloud account. It’s mostly in case the camera gets stolen or breaks or anything.”

Baekhyun looked very flustered.

“Um, I, did he say anything about the pictures?” he asked, and Jongdae looked at him questioningly.

“He just said that there had been another person, and that he... supposed we had some relation, I think. I guess a dinner like that makes it seem that way”, Jongdae commented, starting to stuff everything back into his bag. He had no choice but to leave soon, after all.

“It’s not only that...” Baekhyun said slowly. Jongdae turned towards him again, and at that, Baekhyun looked away, uncharacteristically insecure.

When Jongdae didn’t say anything Baekhyun continued.

“I took, ehm, didn’t you see the pictures?”

“Which ones?”

“In, in the morning... Yesterday, if I’m correct, I took a picture or two of myself. It was supposed to be a prank. I had no idea about the wi-fi thing.”

Jongdae’s eyes widened, and he reached for his camera. He hadn’t had the time to look through the large sums of photographs in his camera roll yet. So, if Baekhyun had taken additional pictures... he hadn’t noticed them yet. But Minseok probably had.

Since they were taken last morning, Jongdae didn’t have to go back very far to find them, only skipping through a few pictures from the Spanish Steps. When he did, his heart sank. They were worse, so much worse than the ones from the restaurant. Baekhyun had directed the camera lens towards himself, taking a rather awkward selfie, but smiling nonetheless. Jongdae probably would have found it cute if it wasn’t for this situation. There were two pictures, nearly identical, except that in the first one Baekhyun was smiling quite adorably, and in the second one he was almost smirking challengingly toward the camera. This wasn’t all, though. Baekhyun wasn’t dressed in the pictures, which was not that much of a deal since the frame only displayed his bare shoulders and nothing else, but it was still clear that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. To make matters even worse, the background was clearly that of a hotel room and if one looked closely there was a visible lump in the bed in the background, one that most likely belonged to Jongdae’s still sleeping body. There was really no misinterpreting these pictures. If the restaurant photos left some excuse, it was destroyed by these. Why would there be pictures of a half- (or perhaps even fully) naked man in a hotel room on Jongdae’s camera? For an utterly shameful reason, was the answer. It was too easy, even a baby could deduce what was going on.

“I only wanted to put those pictures there for you to find later”, Baekhyun explained, noticing Jongdae’s tense silence. “I really had no idea they would be found by someone else. Sorry.”

“No... it’s... It would have been fine if it wasn’t for the fact that I lied about the flight”, Jongdae muttered, things slowly making themselves clear to him, “because they never really check the cloud account. Minseok wouldn’t have found the pictures if I hadn’t called him and told him the flight was cancelled, and he decided to check my work for himself. But... he found some pics of this mystery person. Of course he gets confused, of course he thinks that something’s up.”

Jongdae looked up, locking his gaze with Baekhyun’s.

“I need to go home”, he said, panic welling up inside of him. His first hunch about this trip had been right. This was stressful, only stressful. How could he have let Baekhyun influence him so much? How could he have rejected his job, change his travelling schedule, all of it because of _him_? Was he even that important?

No, no he was not. He barely even knew Baekhyun. Still, he had let him convince him of his terrible ideas.

Jongdae let his hands roam around his bag, haphazardly picking up his things and stuffing them into it. He wasn’t sure if everything was going to fit, but as long as it worked _somehow_ , he would be satisfied.

“No... Would it matter?” Baekhyun started, and Jongdae stared at him again.

“Would _what_ matter?” he almost spat out, having lost some of his patience. Baekhyun observed him sadly.

“If you left now? And not tomorrow? Did they tell you to leave today, after all?”

“Did they- Of course they did!” Jongdae exclaimed, dumbfounded by Baekhyun’s mere need to question this. “He, my boss, told me to get home as fast as I could! I wouldn’t even be sure I’ll get to keep my job after this!”

He violently zipped his bag shut, having finished packing.

“God, why did I let you convince me of staying...” he then mumbled, though still loud enough for Baekhyun to hear.

“Well, that was really your decision”, Baekhyun snapped, clearly fed up with Jongdae’s whining, “it’s not my fault if you get in trouble for it. It’s not like I forced you.”

Jongdae gaped at him, surprised by the attitude. He had at least hoped Baekhyun would be more apologetic. Though, in a way, this made it easier for him to properly lash out, without feeling bad for doing so.

“Huh?” he stood up. “It was _your_ idea! And you wouldn’t stop nagging until I complied!”

“Who nagged? I asked you, and you said yes! It was just a suggestion! Really, it’s not my responsibility if you can’t say no”, Baekhyun argued, and raised his voice a pitch, presumably to imitate Jongdae, “‘Oh, Baekhyun, I wanna stay with you... I could do _anything_ for you...’”

Now, that was going too far. Baekhyun seemed to realise it too, for he almost immediately shut his mouth, pressing his lips together as he looked away, gaze flickering ashamedly.

“Is... Is that...” Jongdae began. Was that the way Baekhyun viewed him? As some kind of compliant little dog? Someone he could toy with however he wanted? Enjoying having that sort of power over him?

Maybe that was why he had been so generous with his money. He could tell that spending money on Jongdae would make Jongdae feel indebted to him, and thus more likely to please him. Maybe this was all a scheme, a thought out plan by Baekhyun. The embarrassing thing was that it had worked out, too. Baekhyun was a good salesman, alright. He could charm Jongdae into anything, and he knew it.

“Was this your plan all along?” Jongdae could not help but voice his thoughts out loud. “You’d spend enough money on me to make me eager to please you, giving you what you wanted?! Buying me, with your work money, as if that wasn’t enough?”

Baekhyun looked very taken aback by this new attack.

“It- It’s not like that! Since you had so little money, it would only be right for me to pay for you, huh?”

“Oh, so _you’re_ the bigger person! It would have been generous of you if it were _your_ money, not the money from your job that you spend so irresponsibly. And-“ Jongdae paused to take a sharp breath. He was all fired up, and it was hard to stop. It was like the dream he had lived in these past few days had shattered, and revealed itself to be a nightmare.

“And cheating on your girlfriend! That sure is classy! Going abroad, using your boss’ money to live in luxury and betray your girlfriend at the same time!”

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Baekhyun exclaimed, face flushed. “We have an understanding, okay?”

“ _What_ kind of understanding?” Jongdae near shouted, his frustrations peaking; he had reached the bit that might’ve provoked him the most. “You brought condoms for a business trip! I guess she allows you to fuck as many guys as you want as long as you come running back to her obediently like a puppy? Because it’s not serious?” he continued, using the dog analogy towards Baekhyun instead. He recognised this kind of attitude, and he loathed it. It had happened to him before; he would meet someone he liked, hook up, then end up abandoned again when the guy turned out to have a committed relationship with some girl, and just saw being with a guy every now and then as something to the side. It really hurt this time, because he had really taken a liking to Baekhyun for the short time they had been together. Hell, he had trusted him with everything, even confiding in him his dream, which he never really told anyone. He regretted it now.

Baekhyun seemed a bit shocked over the strong wording, and just stood there, not speaking. Jongdae passed him to put on his shoes and coat. He could feel tears beginning to gather beneath his eyelids, almost stinging him. He forced himself not to let them out. It was humiliating, how much this affected him.

“It’s really not like that”, Baekhyun finally said, having gathered himself a little, his voice soft yet stable. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Don’t, then”, Jongdae said sadly. “Let’s just leave it. I’ll leave, too.”

“Fine.”

“Bye”, was Jongdae’s final word, as he took his bag and walked through the door. It clicked shut before Baekhyun had the time to say anything else, but maybe he wasn’t going to. Maybe he couldn’t.

  
  


Jongdae made his way to the train station rather quickly, and boarded a train taking him to the airport. Whatever chance was left of him interacting with Baekhyun again was now lost. They hadn’t even exchanged phone numbers. So if he wanted to say something else, or if he, God forbid, regretted anything that he had said, he would not be able to tell him. Perhaps that was for the best. Best to wake up from the dreamlike state of infatuation he had been in before, where he couldn’t think clearly. Reality suited him better.

  
  


Yet, when Jongdae reached the airport, he started thinking exactly the thing he had avoided. What if he had been too hard on Baekhyun? Maybe there was, after all, a chance of him doing everything he had done in good faith, out of goodheartedness and not with any ulterior motives in mind. But even then, what he had been doing was stupid, and Baekhyun seemed intelligent enough to realise that. He was incredibly reckless, and his irresponsible attitude towards his job had infected Jongdae as well, making him think it would be easy to abandon his responsibilities and try tricking his boss into letting him stay longer. Perhaps Baekhyun was more free to do whatever he wanted in his position, but Jongdae was not, and Baekhyun should have noticed that. And the photographs... Baekhyun had not taken them with sabotaging for Jongdae in mind, but he had ended up doing so, messing with his work instruments. There was even little wi-fi button on the menu, so he should have noticed that as well, even if he wasn’t too familiar with cameras. Jongdae felt utterly humiliated, knowing Minseok had seen those photos, knowing he had noticed Baekhyun’s unclothed frame and satisfied smirk, his eyes staring him down across the screen. That smile had weakened him. Jongdae, that is. He had been stupid to let it. It had been hard to avoid, the charm of the salesman. No wonder he had been successful during those meetings, despite knowing very little English.

Jongdae sighed. He was not a very argumentative person, rather, he considered himself a man of peace. With this in mind, this entire business must have struck a chord within him, to get him so upset and riled up. He supposed it was only fair of him to feel terrible after Baekhyun having played him like a fiddle.

Because of his getting cold feet and fleeing to the airport, Jongdae had arrived there much earlier than expected. Being there at two o’clock meant he couldn’t check in yet, as the desk wasn’t open. He had to wait. Wait for a long time, perhaps not only for the desk to open, but also for something else, hoping for the impossible to happen. It was surely in vain, and Jongdae was too proud to ever admit it, but if there was at least a fragment of a chance of turning back, or seeing Baekhyun again, getting some closure... he would at least hope for it. Which was stupid, because Baekhyun had right about proven that he had no emotional connection to Jongdae. Their relationship had been purely physical.

Looking down, Jongdae suddenly noticed the red stain on his coat. He hoped he would able to get rid of in the laundry. Though, it was there as a reminder of what had passed. They had had a good time together, that evening. And afterwards... Jongdae’s face started to feel a bit hot, but before his thoughts got worse he realised something. That had been just like a scene in the drama, that dinner. It was romantic, and it led up to the both of them deepening their relationship. It even involved a spilling of sauce on an item of clothing. And, if Jongdae’s suggestion was approved by the producers, would have taken place in the same restaurant. This was rather disconcerting, since Jongdae had originally brushed it off as being too cheesy. Yet, he had enjoyed it that night, so it couldn’t be that cheesy. And it clearly proved that it was not entirely unrealistic.

With a start, and a growing feeling of unease in his stomach, Jongdae came to the conclusion that the drama script couldn’t have been that unrealistic at all. Because his trip had in some odd manner mirrored the events of the story. Like it was a prediction coming true. When he had been sent there to work on the drama he had not expected to go through it himself, being the protagonist. In the drama, the female lead leaves her home for a job that involves documenting a foreign city, and meets a handsome, business-like man. Instead of doing her job properly she is enchanted by this man, and feelings develop between them. Recalling the protagonist's neglection of her job embarrassed Jongdae even further, because he should've learnt from it by having read through the script a number of times. Nevertheless, near the end they even fight, being the climax of the series, and she leaves for the airport, ready to go home. So far, it was eerily accurate. Jongdae’s pulse rose by reaching the last bit in his mental retelling of the script. Because, if his trip continued on this way, seemingly copying the story of the drama, that would mean that... Baekhyun would come after him.

Of course, that would not happen, it was just silly thinking. But in the drama, the male lead rushes up to the female lead as she’s just about to leave for her gate. He apologises and brings her 60 red roses for the 60 days she had been there, being excessively romantic (and admittedly, very unrealistic). The drama, therefore, ended on a good note. Jongdae feared his own story wouldn’t.

For some time, Jongdae simply lounged around, waiting for the check-in for his flight to begin. He purchased a coffee, his last one in Italy, at a café, and spent the rest of the hour sipping on it while looking out at the departures hall. Somehow, he could not help feeling like he was leaving too much behind.

Two hours before the departure of the flight, the check-in desk opened. Jongdae was first in line, but he spotted a few others who had also arrived there early, such as a family with two children and an elderly couple. He dropped off his luggage, but kept a small rucksack containing his laptop, to be able to work on the presentation during the flight.

Jongdae said his internal goodbyes when he headed for the security control, knowing that once he’d gone through that, there was no going back. It felt bittersweet, and he had to stop just before reaching the queue to gather his thoughts. Sighing resignedly, he opened his bag to take out his laptop, as such was the procedure when putting things through the security check. When he did this, he realised that something was missing. His thick manuscript was not in his rucksack, which he had packed in advance before leaving. Of course, he had been rather distraught when he’d been doing so, and therefore he might have forgot to put it in, leaving it in his large luggage. Which was now checked in and impossible for him to retrieve. Just his luck. It would be near impossible to sort through his pictures and prepare a presentation without his script, which both contained all the scenes and his own notes on addresses and such.

For some time, he stood there, just outside of the queue to the security control, contemplating the hopelessness of the situation. At last, he figured he would have time to prepare during the upcoming Sunday, in the comfort of his own home. He could work to the best of his ability today, and do the rest tomorrow.

Having reached a conclusion, Jongdae turned around, joining the queue. It was very slow moving, so he definitely could have been standing there throughout the entire while; there were only two controls open. Jongdae slowly, almost as slowly as the queue to the Cathedral in Vatican City, made his way closer and closer to the control, following the queue lined by retractable belt stanchions, which seemed to move in a zig-zag like pattern.

When he was standing near the middle of the queue, between a large European man with a, also large, bag in front of him and an older woman carrying only a plastic shopping bag behind him, Jongdae spotted something that made his stomach jump. It was entirely unbelievable.

He had heard someone running, but hadn’t turned to look until the footsteps were close enough for him to care. Which he definitely did; only a few metres away, Baekhyun came sprinting towards the queue. Towards him. It was far beyond the conceivable. Yet it happened.

“Jongdae...!” Baekhyun gasped, obviously out of breath. A few of the others in the queue turned to look as well, and continued staring since Jongdae didn’t say a word. Baekhyun’s incredible appearance had lost him the ability to speak.

“You... God, I can’t believe I made it...” Baekhyun bent over forwards a bit, breathing heavily. His brown hair was a bit dishevelled. Jongdae noticed he was carrying something under his arm, something familiar...

“My script!” Jongdae exclaimed, finally being able to form words. Some of the people around him curiously shifted their gazes between him and Baekhyun, and Jongdae felt bothered by it. He therefore lifted the belt and walked underneath it, exiting the queue. Baekhyun caught the drift and the two of them walked a bit away, standing alongside a wall. They could still be seen, but thankfully not heard.

“I can’t believe my timing”, Baekhyun said, a little calmer this time, “I found it on the floor in my room, but that was some time after you left, I didn’t know how much time I had but I took the next best train I could find... I was in a hurry, of course, but when I saw you in the security control I had to run as fast as I could...”

He handed Jongdae the thick pile of papers.

“I really forgot it in your room? I’m...” Jongdae took the script, his most important possession at the moment, briefly imagining Minseok’s reaction if he had left it behind. “Thank you.”

He almost whispered it, but Baekhyun nodded nonetheless.

“Uh... Of course. You’re welcome.”

As the initial feeling of relief faded, Jongdae realised how awkward the atmosphere between them had become.

“So... Did you read it?” Jongdae asked, but at the same time Baekhyun uttered,

“I didn’t read it!”

“Oh-“ Jongdae sounded, surprised over their simultaneous thought processes.

“Just so you know”, Baekhyun added, looking a little taken aback as well.

“Okay. I was just wondering.”

He wasn’t actually allowed to let anyone outside of the project read the manuscript. The company did not want any information leaked before their official trailers and such, so it was the standard procedure.

Baekhyun, once again, nodded. His face was a bit shiny, and his eyes looked a little pink.

“So... yeah. I’m sorry - I won’t bother you anymore. Sorry for holding you up here. And sorry for trying to make you go against the will of your employers. I fucked up.”

He looked down at the ground while saying this, but he still sounded genuine. Or perhaps that was only what Jongdae wanted to hear. He didn’t know what to say. What _could_ he even say to someone he had shared so much with these past few days? He felt as if the anger originally burning within him was being washed away, instead being replaced by a flood of mournfulness. This might be the last time they’d see each other.

“Yeah. It’s okay”, he said shortly. Baekhyun looked up at him and swallowed.

“I should leave. I have to get back to the hotel. And you need to fly.”

“I need to... yeah.”

“Goodbye then”, Baekhyun said, a slight, worn smile gracing his lips. Jongdae almost got the urge to kiss them again, but decided not to complicate things even further. Besides, it was not all forgiven.

“Goodbye”, he replied and Baekhyun turned and left, disappearing from the airport and from Jongdae’s life. Jongdae made his way back to the security control queue, holding onto his manuscript for dear life. Focussing all his energy to his fingers so that his eyes wouldn’t cry. If that logic even worked.

  
  


It wasn’t until he had boarded the plane that Jongdae took a look at the script again. It was somehow with fond eyes. He had originally not at all liked it, but it had grown on him. Perhaps it wasn’t as unrealistic. Perhaps it was even _romantic_. A genuine account of what a sudden infatuation feels like. And it had brought him some... things. Good and bad.

He leafed through it briefly, not reading it but checking on where he had written his notes. It wasn’t until the very last page that he actually stopped to read. Because there was something there that he could not remember writing. Looking at it, he realised it wasn’t anything he had written at all.

_Jongdae!_

_I lied to you. I read a little bit on the train to the airport. But that was after I had decided to come after you - lucky coincidence! I should have stopped by somewhere to buy you 60 roses, or at least five, but I didn’t have the time (how did the guy do that and arrive just in time? I agree with you, the script is pretty cheesy). In case I didn’t dare say it in person - I’m sorry for everything and I hope you can forgive me. I know I can be a bit of an idiot, but I assure you I didn’t consciously try to do anything bad. I genuinely just wanted us to have a good time, without thinking about the consequences for you. Perhaps I’m just too self-centred, haha. But please believe me when I say you’re the only one in my mind. The name you saw on the phone really means nothing. It was an old fling, nothing more._

Baekhyun had then written something then crossed it out, so Jongdae couldn’t see what it was. He continued reading nonetheless, his hands shaking slightly.

_I have to confess, I did think you would favour me, or at least like me more if I was generous to you. But I don’t think I was the only one with less than pure motives..._

Jongdae sighed. He was right about that.

_I couldn’t believe I was meeting someone like you on a business trip like this (even though I came prepared - as you noticed - I didn’t think I would run into someone quite like you). So I tried my best to win you over. I really had a good time with you..._

He hadn’t signed it with his name, and the message just ended there. Well. Almost. Because Jongdae shifted his gaze down to the edge of the sheet, where a few numbers were written... It was a phone number.

This time, Jongdae let his tears fall.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm kidding this isn't realistic at all ahahahahaha
> 
> the lyrics in the beginning are from green day's 'stay the night'. not necessarily their best song but it's a solid track and i definitely had it on my head for the majority of the time i spent writing this.
> 
> i named the tv station sutv because i originally intended on typecasting suho as the owner of the company, but it made no sense including him in the story and i was too lazy to change the name
> 
> for a different tone of the ending - what if the last message ended with a note saying he actually had herpes lmao. sick
> 
> “you know a cheese?” is my favourite line in the entire fic bc it sounds so funny out of context


End file.
